Cycle Torque August 2011

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AUGUST 2011

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FEATURES: Cycle Torque’s outback adventure – part II + Staff bikes

1000cc Can-Am ATVs CAB AUDIT

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August 2011 www.cycletorque.com.au

Contents 42

43

tour test

bmw f 800 gs

triumph tiger 800 xc

44

45

46

tour test

tour test

tour test

24

launch report

2012 KTM 2-stroke exc launch

ktm 990 adventure, 690 enduro r

tour test

yamaha xtz660

moto guzzi stelvio ntx

features 36 Outback adventure tour 60 staff bikes 31 can-am outlander and renegade

REGULARS 3-19 News 21 LETTERS 22 e-Torque 23 GUNTRIP 20 EDITORIAL 35 race torque

54 test

kawasaki 1400gtr

34 Dirty torque 48 Bike stuff 51 used & reviewed

62 BOOK SALES

Cover photos: KTM by iKapture, Can-Am supplied by BRP 2 – August 2011

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NEWS torque

Husqvarna Nuda OVER the last couple of months we’ve reported on Husqvarna’s new naked streetbike powered by a BMW F 800 engine. All we’ve had is a spy pic and some strategically leaked snippets of information.

Until now.

Check out the actual pics of the Nuda 900 R streetbike which is due to be released later this year.

The styling is radical to say the least, and in true European form, everything is designed for form as well as function.

Based on the Rotax 800cc parallel twin cylinder engine BMW uses for its F 800 range of machines, the engine in the Nuda 900 R has a bit more capacity and is tuned for more peak power.

With a dry weight of only 175kg, Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes you can be assured this is one angry street fighter.

As Cycle Torque went to press there was no confirmation of exact release dates or prices. n

Electric roar

AMERICA’S Roehr motorcycles has announced a 2011 update to its previous eSuperSport electric motorcycle. Roehr’s products are usually powered by a Hyosung 650cc V-twin engine but the eSuperSport is powered by a single speed direct drive AC induction motor which offers 67hp and 80ftlb of torque, giving the bike a top speed of over 160km/h.

According to Roehr the bike has a range of 120 kilometres before a recharge is required, which takes around seven hours.

The eSuperSport retails for US$17,995. Electric bike lovers have imported other electric sportsbikes from overseas so there should be no reason you can’t have a Roehr eSuperSport down under, even if it’s to run up and down your driveway or scare a trackday punter or three. n August 2011 – 3

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4 – August 2011

2012 KTM 2-stroke

exc launch – P24

Huge adventure touring feature – page 36

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NEWS torque

Intelligent suspension BMW is set to take suspension adjustment another step forward when it releases its Dynamic Damping Control system in the near future.

Essentially it’s an active suspension system, something which has been seen in the car world for a while now but is yet to be used on a production motorcycle. Electronics stiffening the rear shock. sense how you are riding, loads and the road conditions to adjust the suspension According to BMW the technology is being developed at a rapid rate to suit to suit all of the above. motorcycles, and as BMW is usually at the For example, if the rider accelerates hard forefront of technology you can expect it the electronics will take note and stop the to seen on a motorcycle sooner rather than bike from squatting under acceleration by later. n www.cycletorque.com.au PO Box 687, Warners Bay, NSW 2282 Ph (02) 4956 9820 • Fax (02) 4956 9824 Email: info@cycletorque.com.au Editor CHRIS PICKETT Advertising DENNIS PENZO, 0420 319 335 dennis@cycletorque.com.au Design & PRODUCTION Dionne Hagan, THE D MEDIA DESIGN Accounts: Rebecca Eastment bec@cycletorque.com.au PUBLISHER Nigel Paterson 8 – August 2011

Regular contributors: Darryl Flack, Bob Guntrip, Keith Muir, Alex Pickett, Darren Smart, Todd Reed, Friedemann Kirn, WWW.2SNAP.COM. CYCLE TORQUE is published by Motorcycle Publishing Pty Ltd. ABN 91 085 871 147 Printed by RURAL PRESS, NORTH RICHMOND. Print Post approved PP255003/04198 ISSN 1441-8789 Cycle Torque is available from bike shops across Australia.

If you can’t find our latest issue, call 0420 319 335.

Subscriptions are available. $24.95 per year, call 02 4956 9820 for details.

Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, including electronic, without written permission of the publisher.

PLEASE CONTACT THE EDITOR BEFORE SUBMITTING FREELANCE CONTRIBUTIONS.

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NEWS torque

KX Four Fitty KAWASAKI’S 2012 KX450F is pushing boundaries well before it hits the showroom floors.

With launch control, and adjustable ECU and riding position, now probably more than ever before, you can really tailor exactly how you want the bike to perform at any given time on any given track.

Launch control is operated by a power button which modifies power in the first two gears at the start of the race, giving less wheel spin and wheel stands.

Once the rider shifts into third gear, launch control automatically deactivates.

The ECU has three selectable engine maps, for normal, hard and soft tracks. The adjustability doesn’t stop there, the footpegs can be placed in two positions, the ’bars in four.

And with updated suspension and the powerful engine the KX450F should be a big seller.

Retailing for $11,999, you can check one out at your local Kawasaki dealer or go to www. kawasaki.com.au. n

10 – August 2011

KLR650

KLX250S

KLX250SF

Visit www.kawasaki.com.au for more information SCAN TAG FOR FULL SPECS AND MORE. Get the free mobile app for your phone http://gettag.mobi * 12 months insurance offer available through participating Kawasaki dealers only. Offer is based on Kawasaki comprehensive insurances. Offer available for a limited time only. Conditions apply. Insurance issued by Swann Insurance (Aust) Pty Ltd (Swann). Refer to the PDS available from Swann or your participating Kawasaki dealer. ** $530.49 value is based on 40 yr old male, locked garaged in postcode 2116, no accidents, no other drivers, no criminal convictions, no modifications or additional accessories, agreed value, for a Kawasaki KLR650. *** Please check with your state licensing authority or Kawasaki dealer for full details of applicable models

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NEWS torque

New Husqvarna CR65 debuts in Australia HUSQVARNA’S all new CR65 made it’s Australian debut at the 2011 Australian Long Track Championships held at North Brisbane’s Nudgee facility early in July and if the performance there was any indication there is now a viable alternative to the KTM in the competitive 65cc class.

In the hands of young Broc Feeney the little

CR65 showed great speed to wrap up fourth in the championship among a gaggle of KTM 65SXs and at no time did the little machine look down on speed on the long straights despite the fact that the new 65 was stock standard and that it was Broc’s first ride on the new machine.

Look for this sharp little red rocket at your local Husqvarna dealer by mid August. n

Kini & Red Bull

FICEDA accessories has released a new line of MX gear which is available in good motorcycle shops right now. It’s called Kini Red Bull and the range is all about lifestyle for atheletes. Everything from towels and goggles to MX nylons.

Rally rider Heinz Kinigadner is forever linked with both KTM and Red Bull. The twice motocross champion, winner of the rallye des Pharaons and the Paris-Moscow–Beijing Rally still clearly remembers how he was chosen to be the first motorbike rider in the Red Bull Team. “It was during the Inca Rally in Peru. I was extremely proud and working with Red Bull has given me Wings!”. Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz also shared his passion for riding motorbikes, which formed the basis for a long lasting friendship. Together they set up the Wings for Life foundation whose aim is to find a remedy for spinal cord injury. Kini (as his friends call him) has gained a lot from riding motorbikes but it has also taken a lot, as his brother Hans had an accident in 1984 and his son Hannes came off his bike 2003. Both injured their spine and are paraplegic. “My dream and my main aim in life is to find a remedy for spinal cord injury through Wings for Life”, says Kinigadner. Therefore a large proportion of profits from the KINI Red Bull collection goes to the Wings for Life foundation – www.wingsforlife.com – which helps spinal cord injury research. n

Online this month at cycletorque.com.au

Heaps of new Videos! • KTM 990 Adventure, Triumph Tiger 800XC, BMW F 800 GS, Yamaha XTZ660, Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX. 12 – August 2011

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NEWS torque

Future Commander CAN-AM is well advanced in the field of electric vehicles and has produced a concept electric powered side-by-side atv.

Charging the lithium-ion battery is as easy as plugging the power cord into a wall power socket.

Recharging time is only two hours and the range of the vehicle is 160 kilometres. Top speed is 40km/h from the 23kW electric motor.

rd developing a future inues as we work towa ™ t another milestone ion for innovation cont ® ent and will bring abou Commander. Our pass ronm -Am envi Can the The for cle. ard n testimony of BRP’s side vehi ways forw agai -bythe side of once is one first is cle, its n vehi ched ulsio side ve electric prop In 2010, BRP laun Electric side-byis zero emissions. We belie ept Can-Am Commander electric vehicle. Our goal eco-performing vehicles. The advanced conc rd on BRP’s road map towa stry. in the powersports indu passion for innovation

E H T F O E R U T U F E H T SHAPING .

IN A G A .

D L R O W S T R POWERSPO

Selectable 2WD/4WD allows it to go almost anywhere, especially combined with the locking front and rear differentials.

Cycle Torque can see the military being especially keen on the electric Commander considering it will be almost noiseless during operation.

COMMANDER ELECTR THE FUTURE CAN-AM

IC SIDE-BY-SIDE VEHICL

E.

Can-Am is also working on a hybrid Spyder which combines a regular internal combustion engine with an electric motor for power. Both the concept Commander and Spyder use current platforms to house the alternative power units.

Can-Am hasn’t given any ideas of when either vehicle is likely to be released. n

Tamer Tiger

TRIUMPH’S Tiger 1050 is now available in ‘SE’ guise which has a few notable differences to the Tiger 1050 which is currently retailing for only $13,990 + ORC as a run out deal.

The ‘SE’ comes with hand guards, gel seat, ABS, colour matched panniers and a centre stand as standard equipment for $16,490. Four colours are available: Red, white, orange and matt black.graphite two-tone combo. For more info visit www. triumphmotorcycles.com.au. n

14 – August 2011

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Special F3

NEWS torque MV AGUSTA’S long awaited 675cc three cylinder should be available to Australian buyers later this year, and the Italian company has already produced a limited edition ‘Serie Oro’ version.

Only 200 of this model will be built, so it’s pretty exclusive. Setting it apart from the regular F3, if you can call any MV Agusta ‘regular’, are things like the gold frame plates and forged alloy wheels. There’s also the special paint scheme, lashings of carbon fibre, billet engine covers, and of course a gold plate on the triple clamp telling all and sundry what number out of 200 your ‘Serie Oro’ is.

Several mechanical parts are unique to the Serie Oro models, like the radially-mounted Monobloc one-piece Brembo calipers and fully adjustable Öhlins upside down forks, TTX shock and steering damper.

There’s more to the bike than this of course. Prices for the ‘Serie Oro’ hasn’t been released as yet but you would have to be cashed up to afford one we expect. If you are then lobby your MV Agusta dealer for one now. n

Rider handbook

A NEW resource to improve the education and safety of motorcycle riders has been released by Western Australia’s Department of Transport (DoT).

New Honda racer

Director General – Transport Reece Waldock said the new Ride Safe handbook is a fantastic learning tool for potential riders, as well as a reference guide for the wider motorcycle community.

“On average, 28 motorcycle riders are killed on WA roads each year and we would very much like to see these numbers reduced,” Mr Waldock said.

“The aim of this handbook is to educate motorcycle riders on their obligations to comply with the WA driving laws, road rules and regulations.

“It will give skills to new and returning riders to ride safely and help new riders prepare for the motorcycle theory test and practical riding test.”

Mr Waldock said the need for a handbook was expressed during public consultation conducted by the DoT in metro and regional areas in 2010.

“This fits in with the DoT’s strategic direction of delivering transport services through customer advisory groups and feedback,” he said.

Mr Waldock said Ride Safe also aligns with the government’s Towards Zero road safety strategy 2008-2020.

Copies of the handbook will be available from metro licensing centres, regional licensing agents, as well as online at www.transport.wa.gov.au/dvs. n 16 – August 2011

HONDA has put itself one step ahead of the competition by producing a customer version of a 250cc road racer. With the new Moto3 class kicking off in 2012 the release of the bike is very timely.

Called the NSF250R, it’s powered by a 250cc four-stroke engine, most likely based on the CRF250 powerplant. A couple of years ago Moriwaki worked closely with Honda to build the customer MDH250, and this looks to be Honda’s answer to that machine, even though the bike is most likely share the same basic engine spec.

The NSF250R has a frame and suspension set up similar to the RS125R so it will be nimble and light.

Pure racing bikes aren’t cheap but the NSF250R is a breathtaking $22,990 and it can be ordered through Team Honda Racing.

Call Paul Free on 0418 334 183 if you want one. n

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NEWS torque : pit bits Club racer

Parramatta is back

SOUTH Australia’s Cafe Racer Club is all about road racing. One class which is pretty interesting is C20, where bikes built in the 20th Century are eligible. Get those first generation R1s out there and get amongst it.

FOLLOWING the success of last year’s event, Parramatta Speedway will again host the Sydney Dirt Bike Spectacular, this time a day/night meeting on September 17.

More info at www.caferacerclub.com.

For more info call David Smith on 02 9673 0411.

On safari

Aussies for 8 Hour

WANT to be a part of the Australasian Safari on a bike but don’t want to compete? Then why not try it as an adventure tour?

TEAM Honda Australia riders Jamie Stauffer and Wayne Maxwell will team up for Team Sakurai Honda in this year’s Suzuka 8 Hour.

The seven-day off-road motorbike tour, from Perth through the remote northern goldfields to historic Kalgoorlie, travels parts of the same route as competitors in the Australasian Safari – the Aussie version of the infamous Dakar desert endurance event.

Both riders have competed in the prestigious event before. Normally the teams are headed by a Japanese rider and backed up by Aussies but in a rare break from tradition Stauffer and Maxwell will be going it alone as an all-Aussie outfit.

All you need is to be a competent dirt bike or trail bike rider, love to challenge yourself, and have a spirit for adventure.

“I am really excited to be returning to Japan to compete in the Suzuka 8 Hour Race and I feel honoured that Team Sakurai Honda has chosen Wayne and I to compete as an all-Australian team. The opportunity for us is fantastic. The team itself is a highly professional and successful team and I believe our chance for a podium is very high,” said Stauffer.

The Adventure Tour fee of $2,800 (inc GST) provides a complete package.

It includes an experienced tour director, tour guide and itinerary, with MA Licence, fees and insurance, access to the Safari Bivouac and overnight facilities, campsite fees, tourism inclusions, all fuel from bowsers or containers, transport of limited gear between overnight stops, water and emergency supplies, catering, a merchandise pack, and a ticket to the prize presentation dinner.

Juniors, sidecars, quads and senior solos are all welcome.

Ride with Honda HONDA is holding a ride day at Sandown Raceway in Victoria on August 5.

Bumper schedule for Aussie MotoGP

Riders must have their own road registered, roadworthy motorcycle to bring to the track as well as full protective riding gear. This means no race bikes.

THE 2011 IVECO Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix has a huge on-track schedule lined up for the October event.

Grab your mates and head to Sandown to refine your skills on the track. Prices start from $150.

For the first time since 2008, fans at the event will see an extra session for all international classes; 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP with the additional sessions scheduled for Friday 14 October.

Call 03 9270 1111 for a spot.

The feature support category will be the Australian Superbikes and Australian Superstock 1000. This field will combine many of the fastest ASBK and Formula Extreme riders in the country.

GPS Imports (Grand Prix Spares), an Australian importer of Italian aftermarket parts and accessories for motorcycles and scooters has started phase one of their online assault into the local spare parts market by launching their new E-Commerce business as of Monday May 16th 2011.

Check out www.australasiansafari.com.au for more info.

Fans can also look forward to the ever-popular Australian Historic class featuring some of the World’s most spectacular bikes from yesteryear including the high-handlebar, unfaired Superbikes of the 1970s and ’80s.

Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Andrew Westacott, said motorsport fans have a lot to look forward to at the 2011 event.

“We are really excited about bringing quality entertainment to Phillip Island for the fans, both on and off the track this year,” he said.

“The Australian Superbikes and Superstock 1000 are always a strong crowd pleaser. Together with more international sessions and the Aussie Historics, they complete a fantastic line-up of events.”

SX dates DATES have been released for this year’s Australian Supercross Championship.

Round 1 kicks off at Melbourne on October 22, with the final, Round 5, at Brisbane on November 19.

Visit www.ma.org.au for more information.

3 Hour IT’S not too late to get your entries in for the Adelaide 3 Hour endurance road race at Mallala on August 27-28.

Go to www.pheonixmcc.org.au for more info and entry forms.

Going global

With the first 2500 products now uploaded with another 4000 to be included in the coming months, GPS is staking its claim in the direct online and wholesale side of the motorcycle industry. The new website will offer a wide range of Italian made parts and after market accessories from some iconic brands from the world of motor sport and classic and modern scooters.

The new GPS website is an easy to use portal for the company’s retail and trade customers with a secure gateway for online payments and options to use other providers like Pay Pal. Check them out at www.gpsimports.com.au.

Honda does Youtube

HONDA has produced an advertisement for the 2011 Repsol replica CBR1000RR with Casey Stoner the star, and the CBR of course.

Honda’s assault on our optic nerves isn’t limited to road machines and road racing stars though. There’s also a clip featuring the GHR Honda Racing Team at this year’s Dakar Rally in South America.

Well worth watching, hondamotorcyclestv.

just

go

to

www.youtube.com/user/

Sawmill

THE Sawmill Rally will take over Mansfield in Victoria on November 13.

Lots of giveaways and lots of trailbike fun.

Go to www.admcc.com.au for more info. n August 2011 – 17

SMALL TORQUE Unveiling history one of Australia’s off road heroes was taken from us in January 2006 while racing in the Dakar Rally.

ANDY Caldecott,

Andy’s home town of Keith in South Australia has worked hard to raise funds for a monument to Andy. It will be unveiled on Sunday August 14 at 11.30am. The venue is Pilmore Park, on the Dukes Highway at Keith.

For more information go to www.andycaldecott.com.au.

Thunder Rally HERE’S an invite to the Thunder Rally. The 30th one! Held over the 7/8/9th October, at the beautiful Sheba Dams recreation area, 8km up the hill from Nundle, 40km south of Tamworth.

All the usual rally awards, including “Longest distance stuffed Cat”. B.Y.O. everything, but the local Lions Club make dinner and breakfast on the Saturday night/Sunday morning. Eftpos and supplies available at Nundle.

Fresh water and toilets on site. Great raffle prizes, including vouchers for bike gear and more! The rally is hosted by the Ducati Owners Club, NSW and held to benefit the Moorong Spinal Unit. All bikes and riders welcome. By attending you are taking your place along with the 9000+ riders who have travelled 8,000,000+km supporting this concept over the last 29 years. Don’t forget your fishing gear, some beautiful trout have been caught right at the site! There is a “non-attendance option” for those who still want to support Moorong and get their badge, T-shirt etc, but just can’t get there. Ride safe, one and all. Download an entry form at www.groupspaces.com/thunderrally/ Enquiries, Aunty Mal: 0404 002 427.

Scooter show

THE Sydney Scooter Expo is on again, on September 10. Taking place at

HART’s St Ives location just north of Sydney, the Sydney Scooter Expo is the largest of its kind and will bring together all types of scooters, accessories and riders from all over Australia.

Most scooter manufacturers will be at the expo with a fleet of scooters to check out.

The day will offer fun for the whole family with a host of activities planned including expo stands, games, competitions, test rides and more.

For the dedicated scooter rider, the 2011 National Scooter Rally will feature alongside the Sydney Scooter Expo. This three day event on September 9 – 11, will kick off at HART’s St Ives location in Sydney with events scheduled across all days.

The Sydney Scooter Expo and the Scooter Rally is for scooterists from all walks - or rides - of life and is not to be missed.

To keep up to date and register visit the official expo and rally website: www.nationalscooterrally.org.

The ultimate Brazilian COMPASS Expeditions has announced it will run the company’s first ‘women’s only’ ride, scheduled for Brazil in 2012.

“This tour across Brazil is being led by none other than Lois Pyrce, a UK based author, travel writer and all round adventure bike rider, to name just a few of her accomplishments”, says Compass Expeditions director Mick McDonald.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be having Lois lead this ride for our female clients” says Mick, considering her amazing achievements including riding solo the length and breadth of Africa and South America it’s a real honour to be having her join the Compass team”, continued Mick The tour includes some of the finest riding to be had in South America with Brazil constantly being rated by the Compass Expeditions crew as

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Yamaha promotions YAMAHA is offering some great incentive deals to get your backside on a machine from the blue brigade.

Whether you’re buying a new YZ450F motocrosser or a big bang R1 road burner (other models too), there’s deals in finance, Yamadollars which you can spend in store, free insurance, or free gear for your new bike.

In fact there’s lots of deals happening with lots of different Yamaha models.

Some of the deals end in late July, after Cycle Torque’s August issue comes out, and some end early in 2012.

Deus machines DEUS Ex Machina in Sydney continue to produce some amazing retro/ bratz style machines. The newest custom to see the back of the Deus workshop is the Oddjob, based on the venerable Yamaha SR Deus likes to use.

Go to www.deus.com.au and be prepared to be amazed.

Hooray Honda

HONDA is on the bandwagon with a number of specials and incentive deals to get your backside on one of its products.

From Honda dollars where you can purchase stuff form the dealer when you buy a brand new bike to low interest rates for the CBR125R.

The deals are model specific so head into your local Yamaha dealer to find out what you get. Be quick though.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a cruiser or quad, visit your local Honda dealer to see what they have got in store for you.

Triumph to enter Indian market

Suzuki deals

TRIUMPH motorcycles has announced its intention to enter the Indian market.

SUZUKI also has a range of deals on its range. Factory bonuses on many models to free Pirelli tyres to go with your new Suzuki MX bike, there’s something at your Suzuki dealer to help sweeten the deal.

Triumph has appointed Ashish Joshi as its Managing Director for India.

Prior to joining Triumph, Ashish was heading the European operations for Royal Enfield and established the company’s business in Europe. He has over 16 years of experience in Asia and Europe.

Commenting on Triumph’s entry to the Indian market Nick Bloor, CEO of Triumph Motorcycles, UK said “India is a very important motorcycle market and Triumph has assessed it carefully before deciding to step in.

We see it as the next step in our global business model. The appointment of Ashish Joshi is a signal of our seriousness about success in India. I wish him the best and look forward to comprehensive growth from the Indian market.”

One deal you might like to check out is the new-look 650 V-strom adventure tourer. Loved by loads of adventure riders, the V-strom has received a much awaited styling update and some technical updates too.

It now comes standard with ABS and the updated fuel injection system apparently gives better fuel economy. It was awesome before, what’s it like now? n

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EDITORIAL

Bucket List Ken Linsay and his trick Bucket Racer.

Max ‘Magoo’ Gibbons.

AFTER the movie of the same name as this column’s heading was released, it seems everyone started making their own bucket list. If you have no idea what I’m talking about it’s all about giving yourself a list of things to do before you die.

One of the things on my list is to do an endurance race with my son Alex as my co-rider. In fact he’s so much faster than me it’s ridiculous so I guess I’ll be his corider. We want to accomplish this in this year ’s Post Classic Racing Association One Hour at Wakefield Park on September 17/18. I could say I’ve been working feverishly on our intended steed, a 1985 Honda VF1000F, but I’d be lying. And after realising the event is in September I really do have to get my finger out and finish it.

I essentially want to race it in Period 6 as a production style machine but I’ve got a few bits and pieces to make it into a decent handling machine. I found a new Bitubo shock on eBay, and I’ve also got some NG brake discs and Venhill braided brake hoses to sort the brakes out. You can get these products from good motorcycle stores and the cool thing is they are available for a huge variety of bikes, including the older stuff like my VF. For the moment I’ll be sticking with the standard 18” front and 17” rear wheels as I’ve done some web surfing and found I can get some decent sticky rubber for them. Not as good as modern slicks mind you but good enough for the first run. I can see me putting a set of more modern wheels on it later though.

At the ‘One Hour ’ there will also be the 2011 Australian Bucket Nationals, which is seen by the riders as an unofficial Australian Championship, and rightly so.

Originally designed as a very cheap way to go bike racing the bucket class has evolved from where it all began in 1993 at Oran Park’s Figure 8 circuit to the point where the top machines are works of engineering art, and the not-sotop machines are just holding together. Seriously though, I’ve raced in a bucket one hour and had a ball. Last year 20 – August 2011

my son was offered a bucket co-ride at the last minute and said it was one of the most fun things he’s done on a motorcycle. It shows you don’t have to invest bucket loads (pun intended) of cash to have bucket loads of fun.

There’s lots of bucket classes too, from the fire-breathing Motolites to the production based commuterlites and the Superlites which cater for moderately modified machines.

Also at the event will be Post Classic, Forgotten Era, New Era and Pre-Modern classes. If you like watching motorcycle racing get down to Goulburn for the meeting, you won’t be disappointed.

There’s no doubt racing bikes has kept my family close.

I prepare my son’s bikes, my 13-year-old daughter is chief tyre warmer technician, my wife’s job is keeping everyone happy which can be hard when the stress levels are up, and Alex gets to take the controls.

Imagine what it would be like for a young kid who doesn’t have it so easy. Our dirt guru Darren ‘Smarty’ Smart has got his eye on young Max ‘Magoo’ Gibbons and reckons he’s a star of the future.

Five-year-old Max has been nicknamed ‘Magoo’ after the late Danny ‘Magoo’ Chandler due to his love and desire of dirt bike riding and his fearless approach to his racing, which according to ‘Smarty’, was apparent at the recent Australian Junior Long Track Championship held at the North Brisbane Junior Motorcycle Club, with Gibbons winning almost every race in the 50cc four-nine years class.

It was only a crimped fuel hose in the opening race that stopped Gibbons from clean sweeping the class and would you believe this was only Magoo’s fifth competitive race meeting. And to do this while his family is going through some tough times shows how much love is around the young bloke. Well done Max! – Chris Pickett

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LETTERS TORQUING BACK Write A Letter!

WIN A Great PRIZE

This month Ashley Saintww has won an Airhawk mid-cruiser seat for his bike, valued at $159. Airhawk seats make riding a lot more comfortable by putting a cushion of air between you and your bike. Check out www. airhawkguy.com for more information.

Send your letters (and/or great bike pictures) to The Editor, Cycle Torque, PO Box 687 Warners Bay, NSW 2282 or email chris@cycletorque.com.au.

I agree

I’D LIKE to sincerely thank you for your reply to Mark Robinson in the July issue of Cycle Torque. It’s easily the best and smartest response I’ve ever come across in any form of media on the discussion of bicycle registration.

As a motorist, motorcyclist and cyclist I’ve got a foot in each camp, and Mark, please note the key word in the first two - motor. It’s motor vehicle registration, not vehicle registration. Don’t want to pay it? Remove the motor, easy!

I pay it on my motorcar and motorcycle because that’s the way it is, want to change the law? Lobby your local MP. The Greenslip is more of a rip off than the registration in my opinion, but that’s another discussion.

By the way Mark, it’s worth noting that roads are funded from consolidated revenue, not motor vehicle registrations.

The road is a public space and is there for all members of the public to use within the confines of the law. Just like your taxes subsidise those pesky school kids at their public schools or those annoying sick people in the public hospital system, freeloading almost as badly as those bloody cyclists!

When I’m riding my bike (the one with pedals) to work and back, or for fun I have the same simple goal as every other road user - get there and back to my family safely.

I know sharing and understanding are outdated concepts, but from one vulnerable road user to another, I’d like to think the few seconds it takes to wait and pass me safely when I’m on my bike aren’t too much to ask.

Cheers, Ashley Saint

The deal is in the finance

SO, YOU want to spend between $10-15,000, you have looked around and found that new bike advertised at the cheapest price, and you’re biting at the bit to put that new bike in your shed.

You ring Harry Shonk, the dealer, and he then says, “wait, there’s more than just the best price. I’ll throw in all the accessories you need”. You’re shell shocked! You say, “yes” to the deal.

You say, “I need finance”. Harry Shonk then pulls out his calculator and says, “how’s 60 bucks a week sound?” Harry then produces a Contract of Sale and says, “sign here” (I recently heard of a new CB250 offered at $60 per week by a dealer, which made the interest rate over 40 per cent.

You can buy one of these for around $30 per week from a reputable dealer.)

If you are financing, there are four things to ask before saying “yes!” to a deal on a new or used bike: 1. What is the interest rate? (And check it yourself.)

2. What is the establishment fee? (Paperwork costs) 3. How many dollars per week or per month?

4. What is the term of the loan?

The problem is, when the honeymoon is over with this bike, and you’ve been stitched up from the first day you said “yes!” (particularly an off road bike), you come to the realisation that you owe far more than sometimes the original retail price, and that your bike is worth far less on the open market.

Motorcycle and accessories finance, if done correctly, is a great tool for you, the customer. You can get frocked up with a new bike, with all the accessories and rider apparel for a weekly payment.

This makes more sense to me than throwing cash over the internet for wrong sized clothing or parts that don’t fit. It also keeps your local dealer and Aussies in jobs.

The advertised cheapest price, particularly if you are financing with that type of dealer, is the expensive option.

Bikes are a fantastic leisure or commute activity. I don’t like seeing young people being put off with the wrong information, particularly about price and finance on their new bike.

The total motorcycle community in Australia represents around eight per cent of the population, and a reputable dealer realises he needs to sell a few bikes to you, the customer, over your motorcycling years (repeat business).

The one-deal finance stitch-up may work in some of the motor vehicle industry as around 80 per cent of the population drive.

A concerned dealer

Wire rope kills

TWO young people dead and three critically injured after crashing a 4WD, 20km west of Ballarat in Victoria recently.

The road was supposedly protected by wire rope barrier (WRB). Their car went through the WRB and hit trees.

In February 2010 a driver died after WRB failed to stop his truck running off Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway. His truck crossed the WRB, hit a pylon and burned.

In May 2011 WRB was raised in Federal Parliament by Luke Hartsuyker MP. He called on state and territory governments to review their use of WRB. He was prompted to raise the issue because a motorcyclist had a leg cut off after colliding with WRB near Taree in NSW. Miraculously, the rider survived.

Hartsuyker reminded road authorities of their duty of care to ALL road users.

Riders should contact their local MPs and demand road authorites stop installing new WRB immediately and review the future use of WRB. Damien Codognotto Hi Damien I see the point about WRB maiming riders, but I don’t see the point re cars or trucks. A truck passed through it on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway. If a WRB wasn’t there it would have made no difference to the fact the truck hit a pole and burned. Likewise with the 4WD. The real question is what can be put there to stop all vehicles passing to the incorrect side of the road, including bikes, while reducing the risk of injury as much as possible.

– Ed

August 2011 – 21

E-torque I M I S S E D C h a d R e e d ’s b i g c r a s h w h e n i t h a p p e n e d – I caught some of the telecast on Foxtel, but the crash had already happened and I was left wondering how it looked and how Chad was doing.

I was a bit mystified by the comments being made by the commentators about the crash: on the one hand they were saying how it was a huge crash, but on the other hand Reed was still out there – he finished 14th. So no major injuries a n d t h e b i k e w a s n ’ t t o o b a d l y b e n t , e i t h e r.

Yo u Tu b e s o l v e d t h e m y s t e r y f o r m e a d a y o r t w o l a t e r, with good quality footage of the accident from American M o t o c r o s s , w h i c h h a s i t s o w n C h a n n e l o n Yo u Tu b e , j u s t l i k e

C y c l e To r q u e . T h e r e ’ s l o t s t o s e e a n d i t ’ s a g o o d w a y t o c a t c h some of the action you might have missed: Reed’s crash is worth booting the computer up just to see.

T h e c r a s h i t s e l f i s v e r y, v e r y s p e c t a c u l a r , w i t h C h a d heading up a short, steep hill hard on the gas when the back end just kicks sideways near the top of the jump. There’s still enough momentum to throw Chad into the air 6 or 7 metres, but luckily for both bike and rider their momentum took them off to the side of the track a little and they both landed and slid down the side of a grassy embankment: if they’d landed flat on the ground it would have been broken bones and broken bike. As it was it looked like he’d been k n o c k e d o u t t e m p o r a r i l y.

For Chad to then pick himself up, dust himself off and rejoin the race showed just h o w t o u g h h e i s . O r c r a z y, o r b o t h .

Yo u c a n f i n d a l i n k t o t h e c r a s h f o o t a g e a t w w w. c y c l e t o r q u e . c o m . a u / m o r e .

There’s plenty of other interesting bike v i d e o s o n Yo u Tu b e , o f c o u r s e : a n d n o t j u s t the awful shots of idiots making mistakes.

The professionals are out there, with MotoGP a n d t h e S u p e r b i k e Wo r l d C h a m p i o n s h i p b o t h having their own channels, and there’s heaps of coverage of your favourite motorcycle action, too.

C y c l e To r q u e u s e s Y o u T u b e t o o , b u t i t ’ s a c t u a l l y e a s i e r t o f i n d o u r v i d e o s a t w w w. cycletorque.com.au/video. And don’t foget to c h e c k o u t w w w. c y c l e t o r q u e . c o m . a u / m o r e f o r lots more links and information about bikes we’ve tested, news and features.

– Nigel Paterson

www.cycletorque.com.au

On to Madagascar

WE’RE hearing a lot in our family about s o c i a l w o r k e r s r i g h t n o w, a n d a f t e r a long apprenticeship as a sceptic about the supposed intrusions of the nanny state into our lives I’m rapidly coming round to the view that all such earnest mediators of social justice should be given one-way tickets to Madagascar and left to analyse each other and establish such crèches and encounter g r o u p s a s t h e y s e e f i t . We ’ l l s e n d t h e m a supply of soy skinny chai lattes by a later boat.

That’ll leave the rest of us to get on with our inadequate lives unencumbered, though we’ll still have plenty of p r o b l e m s t o t a c k l e a l o n g t h e w a y. F o r example, some means will have to be found to stop Americans from shooting one another and coming up with sillier and sillier lone-hero-standing-tallsoaring-eagle-land-of-the-free bumper stickers, just as we’ll have to find ways of limiting the idiocy of other elements o f t h e l u n a t i c f r i n g e – b u t , h e y, y o u p a y s your money and takes your choice; if you want someone to knit your bootees for y o u , t h e r e ’ s a l w a y s M a d a g a s c a r.

The future will hereafter be all about taking full responsibility for our own lives. Of course, we’re used to doing less and less of that so we’ll have to devise some kind of training program to familiarise our citizens with the sticky business of looking after themselves.

We ’ l l a l l n e e d a c o u r s e i n s e l f - r e l i a n c e .

T h e k i d d i e s w i l l b e o k a y, o f c o u r s e ; f u t u r e g e n e r a t i o n s will establish a strong new line in pioneering spirit when we take away their game consoles and pack them off to the scouts or guides twice a week. They’ll learn basic economics, mechanics, plumbing and electrical work, and will go orienteering, climbing, hiking and canoeing.

We ’ l l s h e l v e t h e c o u r s e s i n l i t e r a r y c r i t i c i s m a n d w i n e a p p r e c i a t i o n u n t i l t h e i r g a p y e a r. U n i v e r s i t y e n t r a n c e will have a compulsory course in bullshit identification, motivation and organisation without electronic aids.

They’ll be taught to get on with stuff. First sign of a t a n t r u m , t h e y ’ r e o f f t o M a d a g a s c a r. B y c a n o e .

But it’s not much use planning for future generations if we can’t lead by example, so we need to become r e s p o n s i b l e , s e l f - r e l i a n t c i t i z e n s o u r s e l v e s . T h e l o c a l TA F E will help, of course, with courses in first aid, dealing with b u r e a u c r a c y, c a r p e n t r y, p l u m b i n g , g a r d e n i n g a n d a l i t t l e on comparative culture to help us understand that most of humanity doesn’t want to blow up our early potatoes, steal our power tools or rape our wives.

B u t t h a t ’ s r e a l l y j u s t a t a s t e r. We r e a l l y a n d t r u l y need some means of learning the art of the possible; of discovering what we can do and what we can’t; finding out how to look after ourselves and our tools, and the consequences of inadequate preparation and maintenance, o f f a i l i n g t o a c q u i r e t h e a b i l i t i e s w e n e e d . We n e e d an activity that will provide enough stimulus and excitement to keep us interested, that’ll help us to acquire sophisticated and complex skills, that’ll teach us to understand the consequences of getting things wrong and the joy of doing it right.

Ye s , i n m y v i s i o n o f u t o p i a , l e a r n i n g t o r i d e a m o t o r c y c l e w i l l b e c o m p u l s o r y. N a t u r a l l y.

GUNTRIP

Superbike or Supercross?

my meat and drink, perhaps even my reason for breathing.

These days I’d be content just to stump up my $40 and sit in the stands, but with the nearest round of the Australian Superbike Championships an even 1000km a w a y, a t P h i l l i p I s l a n d o r a t Q u e e n s l a n d R a c e w a y, I h a v e to make other arrangements. These are usually met with a visit to the Amazon website and the purchase of a couple of cheap DVDs. The latest acquisitions include the British Superbike 2010 season review and a little charmer called I, S u p e r b i k e r.

Both of these feature our own Josh Brookes, riding for HM Plant Honda and chasing the title down to the wire a g a i n s t t e a m - m a t e R y u i c h i K i y o n a r i , P o m To m m y H i l l , a n d the unfortunate James Ellison, who survives a mighty stack e a r l y i n t h e s e a s o n t o m a k e t h e f a s t e s t c o m e b a c k i n h i s t o r y.

The British Superbike Championship has itself together a s a m a r k e t a b l e c o m m o d i t y, a s t h e s e t w o $ 2 0 o f f e r i n g s (free postage from Amazon Pom at the moment) attest. BSB has adopted a season structure that has some parallels to NASCAR, the most successful racing series on planet Earth, to ensure as far as possible that the season goes down to the wire, and the result makes good viewing, especially if, like me, you haven’t been scanning the motorcycle press anxiously every week for BSB race results or if, unlike me, you don’t know all that much about Brands Hatch or Thruxton.

It would be churlish not to recognise that there are 60 million Brits and only 21 million of us, which probably makes it a little easier to mount a successful race series.

Just the same, I hope next year the organisers of the Australian Superbike Championships can organise a round o f t h e s e r i e s i n N e w S o u t h Wa l e s ( a n d S o u t h A u s t r a l i a ) . I f t h a t ’ s s o , I ’ l l c h e e r f u l l y s a c r i f i c e m y c o p y o f t h e B S B 2 0 11 season review and hand the cash instead to the nice people o n t h e g a t e a t E a s t e r n C r e e k o r Wa k e f i e l d P a r k .

– Bob Guntrip

I’m ashamed to tell you that I haven’t been to a race m e e t i n g i n m o r e t h a n a y e a r. N o t s o v e r y l o n g a g o t h i s w a s

August 2011 – 23

Launch Report – 2012 KTM two-stroke EXC range REPORT BY

Darren Smart

PHOTOS BY

iKapture

RIDING GEAR: Shift/Shoei helmet, Shift nylons, Alpinestars boots.

Dream rides

Everyone it seems is against smoking, except KTM.

Continued next page

Launch Report – 2012 KTM

THE 2012 KTM EXC range is proof that if you couple the feedback given from factory riders w i t h m o d e r n t e c h n o l o g y, e n g i n e e r i n g a n d materials you can dramatically improve from a p r e v i o u s m o d e l ’s o v e r a l l p e r f o r m a n c e , e v e n if the previous models were already the class leaders.

T h e K T M 2 0 0 , 2 5 0 a n d 3 0 0 E X C t w o - s t ro k e s have always been fun to ride. It doesn’t matter i f y o u ’ re o n a s i m p l e t r a i l r i d e o r a h a rd c o re thrash at warp speed…the nimble handling, the f a n t a s t i c c l u t c h , b r a k e s a n d e rg o n o m i c s c o u p l e d with the clean explosive power makes for a ride few would deem mundane.

F o r 2 0 1 2 K T M h a s t h ro w n a l l o f i t s re s o u rc e s behind a series of changes that makes these t h re e ‘ s m o k e r s ’ t h e ‘ D re a m R i d e ’ f o r 2 0 1 2 .

New chassis

KTM has new frames for all of its 2012 EXC models and even though it was a surprise the P D S f r a m e s a re b a c k c o n s i d e r i n g t h e s u c c e s s o f the ‘linkaged’ SX-F models KTM insists that one, t h e re i s n o c o m p ro m i s e i n h a n d l i n g w i t h t h e P D S s y s t e m a n d t w o , a l i n k a g e s y s t e m i s p ro n e t o d a m a g e i n t h e h a rd - c o re w o r l d o f e n d u ro a n d bush bashing.

T h e n e w f r a m e i s m a d e f ro m h i g h - q u a l i t y, l i g h t w e i g h t c h ro m e - m o l y s t e e l m a t e r i a l i n v a r i o u s p ro f i l e s a n d i s h a l f a k i l o l i g h t e r t h a n i t s n e a re s t c o m p e t i t o r.

A n e w d e s i g n p ro v i d e s h i g h e r t o r s i o n a l a n d re d u c e d l o n g i t u d i n a l s t i ff n e s s , p ro v i d i n g b e t t e r s t a b i l i t y w i t h i m p ro v e d h a n d l i n g . T h e m o s t o b v i o u s c h a n g e t o t h e n a k e d e y e i s w h e re t h e

shock is mounted to the chassis and this new mount is designed to isolate and absorb e n e rg y c re a t e d f ro m re a r w h e e l i m p a c t s .

The new EXC White Power PDS shock is 7mm l o n g e r a n d i s m o u n t e d f l a t t e r c o m p a re d t o p re v i o u s m o d e l s t o o ff e r a m u c h i m p ro v e d r i s i n g r a t e . I t i s a l s o f i t t e d w i t h i m p ro v e d p i s t o n a n d b u s h i n g s w h i c h p ro v i d e b e t t e r s e a l a n d f r i c t i o n p ro p e r t i e s t o h a n d l e t h e h i g h e r s h a f t v e l o c i t i e s .

A n e w s p r i n g re t e n t i o n a n d p re l o a d s y s t e m a l l o w s p re l o a d a d j u s t m e n t w i t h o u t t h e u s e o f hammer and punch.

The shock is bolted to an all new ‘single component’ cast aluminium swingarm which i s 3 0 0 g r a m s l i g h t e r, h a s u p - d a t e d m o u n t i n g p o s i t i o n s , s l i g h t l y h i g h e r p ro f i l e s a n d o p t i m i s e d flex support to work in unison with the new frame and suspension.

A c c o rd i n g t o K T M , ‘ t h e s i n g l e - c o m p o n e n t c a s t i n g p ro c e s s f o r t h e n e w s w i n g a r m a l l o w s unlimited geometry solutions and eliminates any i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s c re a t e d b y w e l d i n g . ’ U p f ro n t t h e 2 0 1 2 E X C m o d e l s a re f i t t e d with WP’s latest generation 48mm USD forks w h i c h a re n o w f i t t e d w i t h n e w s e a l s , i m p ro v e d b u s h i n g s a n d n e w s e t t i n g s f e a t u re d t h ro u g h o u t the range.

T h e n e w E X C r a n g e a l s o f e a t u re s t h e S t e f a n E v e r t s - i n s p i re d s u p e r s l i m e rg o s t h a t h a v e excellent contact points between rider and m a c h i n e w h i l e t h e re i s n o w a ‘ g r a b h a n d l e ’ m o u l d e d i n t o t h e n e w 5 0 m m w i d e r re a r m u d g u a rd .

A n a l l - n e w a i r b o x o ff e r s p ro t e c t i o n f o r t h e air filter against dirt and maximises airflow for

i n c re a s e d performance while the KTM engine d y n o d e p a r t m e n t h a s d e s i g n e d d i ff e re n t i n t a k e boots for every displacement to optimise the p o w e r a n d re s p o n s i v e n e s s f o r e a c h m o d e l .

T h e n e w t w o - s t ro k e s f e a t u re a ‘ t w o - c o m p o n e n t technology’ silencer which is mounted with a s t ro n g p l a s t i c h o l d e r a ro u n d t h e a l u m i n i u m housing.

E x c e l r i m s a n d C N C m a c h i n e d h u b s a re u s e d w i t h z i n c / n i c k e l c o a t e d s p o k e s a re n o w e m p l o y e d t o i m p ro v e c o r ro s i o n re s i s t a n c e a n d t h e n e w n i p p l e s a re m a d e o f h i g h - s t re n g t h a l u m i n i u m w h i c h re d u c e s t h e w e i g h t b y 2 0 0 grams per wheel.

Overall the 2012 KTM EXC range comes with t h e u s u a l q u a l i t y w e e x p e c t f ro m t h e o r a n g e a r m y i n c l u d i n g t h e p ro v e n i n t e g r a t e d c o o l i n g s y s t e m , t h e h y d r a u l i c c l u t c h , B re m b o b r a k e s , t a p e re d a l u m i n i u m h a n d l e b a r s , R e n t h a l g r i p s and the much loved KTM tool kit.

T h e r i d e – 2 0 0 EX C

Since it’s unveiling in 1998, the KTM 200EXC h a s e n j o y e d a l o y a l f o l l o w i n g h e re i n A u s t r a l i a for the smaller built riders thanks to the fact it goes like a cut cat and handles like a 125cc m o t o c ro s s e r … I m e a n , w h a t e l s e c o u l d y o u w a n t , and for 2012 the motor is even livelier thanks to the new airbox and intake boot, a new exhaust and an all new ignition curve.

Couple that with all of the chassis and suspension changes and you have a dirt bike t h a t re a l l y m a k e s y o u f e e l l i k e t h e re a re n o

M two-stroke EXC range

Minimalist cowling.

The front end works really well.

A new chassis with the proven PDS suspension system.

Continuednext nextpage page Continued

Launch Report – 2012 KTM twostroke EXC range

S p e c i f i c at i o n s: kTM 200EXC/250EXC/300EXC Engine Type: Liquid-cooled 2-stroke single Capacity: 193cc/249cc/293.2cc Transmission: 6 speed Fuel Capacity: 9.5L Frame Type: Central double cradle Seat Height: 960mm Wet Weight: 96kg/102.9kg/103.1kg Front Suspension: WP-USD48mm Rear Suspension: WP-PDS Brakes: Disc brake 260/220mm Tyres: 90/90-21, 120/90-18; 140/80-18 Price (RRP): $10,495/$11,495/$11,995 + ORC www.cycletorque.com.au/more

Continued from previous page 26ww

boundaries no matter what is ahead of you on t h e t r a i l . S u re , t h e 2 0 0 i s n o t i d e a l f o r o p e n ro a d r i d i n g b u t t o b e h o n e s t , I a m n o t a f a n o f 1 0 0 k m p e r h o u r s t u ff o n a n y t w o - s t ro k e b u t w h e re t h i s b i k e s h i n e s i s i t s a b i l i t y t o b r a k e way deep into the corners and steer though t h e m l i k e a k n i f e t h ro u g h b u t t e r. T h i s b i k e has a huge fun factor and suits riders of all abilities.

2 5 0 EX C

A l re a d y p o w e r f u l , t h e e l e c t r i c s t a r t 2 5 0 g e t s the new airbox and intake boot as well as a n e w re e d v a l v e b l o c k t o m a k e t h i s a n a w e s o m e a l l - ro u n d p a c k a g e t h a t i n s p i re s p h e n o m e n a l confidence.

H o n e s t l y, y o u g i v e t h i s m o t o r f u l l t h ro t t l e b e t w e e n e a c h c o r n e r a n d y o u a re b u i l d i n g up serious speed and each time you thank your lucky stars that you have world-class brakes to pull this baby up. If you change y o u r m i n d s e t , s l i p t h e 2 5 0 i n t o t h i rd g e a r a n d c ru i s e t h ro u g h t h e s i n g l e t r a c k t r a i l s u s i n g t h e a m p l e t o rq u e t h e b i k e i s j u s t a s h a p p y a s i t i s in ballistic mode.

3 0 0 EX C

Almost everyone who has ridden a KTM 300EXC in the last ten or so years just loves t h e m o t o r. K T M h a s f o u n d t h e b a l a n c e b e t w e e n e x p l o s i v e m o t o c ro s s - s t y l e p o w e r w i t h a p u l l o f t h e t h ro t t l e a n d t h e f l i c k o f t h e c l u t c h a n d t h e b ro a d t o rq u e o f a m o t o r h a p p y t o b e l u g g e d a l o n g f o r a c ru i s y S u n d a y r i d e .

Ye t , d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t i t i s a c l a s s favourite KTM has developed a new 300cc cylinder to give the electric start, six-speed m o t o r m o re l o w - e n d p o w e r t h a n e v e r b e f o re .

Add the new airbox and intake boot and new re e d v a l v e b l o c k w i t h t h e n e w c y l i n d e r a n d we have a KTM 300 that is clean, crisp and p o w e r f u l f ro m i d l e t h ro u g h t o re d - l i n e .

Like the 200 and the 250 I was feeling invincible on the 300 but what stood out for me was the ability to stick the turns and get on the gas so early and to be able to hold one g e a r f o r s o l o n g . I w a s o f t e n h o l d i n g t h i rd g e a r t h ro u g h a s e r i e s o f t u r n s i n s t e a d o f g o i n g up and down the gears and just concentrating on my braking, turns and acceleration and t h a n k s t o t h i s b e a u t i f u l m o t o r I n e v e r s t re s s e d a b o u t t h e m o t o r n o t re a c t i n g a s d e s i re d .

The ride – the new chassis/ suspension

I w a n t t o s u m u p t h e r i d e o n a l l t h re e o f t h e s e models by giving my appraisal of what the new c h a s s i s a n d s u s p e n s i o n w i l l d o f o r y o u , t h e r i d e r.

We l l , f o r s t a r t e r s , a f t e r I h e a rd a l l o f t h e s c i e n c e behind the engineering changes to the chassis I will admit to being a little overwhelmed.

I mean, who thinks of ‘torsional and l o n g i t u d i n a l s t i ff n e s s ’ ? O r ‘ i s o l a t i n g a n d a b s o r b i n g e n e rg y c re a t e d f ro m re a r w h e e l impacts’? Obviously and thankfully the tech heads at KTM HQ do because the change in the n e w c h a s s i s w a s v e r y o b v i o u s t o m e s o h e re i s my take and what it did for me on the track and in turn what it will do for you.

OK, under brakes the new chassis gives an amazing amount of stability, even through large

braking bumps or braking through rocks and logs etc, there just isn’t the same amount of force coming from the rear wheel through the rest of the chassis, you can feel the reduced impact through your seat and footpegs and I think this also allows the front forks to work better as well.

I was even hitting this foot high ledge at the side of one of the trails at speed and under heavy braking trying to get any of the KTMs to show signs of punching me over the bars and I was surprised each time how well the new fork/ frame/shock combination worked.

A n d w i t h t h e f ro n t a n d re a r e n d b e i n g m o re p re d i c t a b l e u n d e r b r a k e s i t m e a n s y o u c a n b r a k e l a t e r a n d a c t u a l l y l e t t h e b r a k e s o ff e a r l i e r a n d get into the turns quicker or if not quicker with m o re c o n f i d e n c e .

S o i t w a s u n d e r b r a k e s a n d t h ro u g h c o r n e r s w h e re I re a l l y f e l t t h a t t h e 2 0 1 2 K T M E C X s s h o n e

but I will also tell you that I did some laps a ro u n d a m o t o c ro s s t r a c k n e a r b y a n d a l l t h re e m a c h i n e s a re v e r y h a n d y s m a s h i n g t h e i r w a y t h ro u g h b e r m s a n d o v e r j u m p s a s w e l l .

So to wrap this up I have to say that the forks are superb, the rear shock is great, obviously the new chassis is working a treat and I have to say that all three motors are what riding dirt bikes is all about. Combine all of this new stuff with all of KTM’s tried and trusted running gear and you have what I call the ‘Dream Ride’ for 2012.

The 300EXC will be available for $11,995, the 250EXC for $11,495 and the 200 EXC for $10,495.

Prices listed are recommended retail prices and exclude dealer delivery or on-road costs.

And finally, thank you KTM for not giving up on the two-s t ro k e s , t h e re i s a n a r m y o f d i r t b i k e h e a d s o u t t h e re w h o s t i l l l o v e t h e s m e l l a n d f e e l of a ‘smoker ’. n

RRP $3,999.00 + dealer

delivery charges

QUAD

Can-Am goes litre-cla Quad Torque Feature – Can-Am Outlander and Renegade

CAN-AM is offering you even more power with the 2012-model 800 and 1000cc Outlander and Renegade models, and the first models should b e h e r e i n l a t e O c t o b e r.

Wi t h n e w c h a s s i s a n d b i g g e r e n g i n e s than ever before, the new Outlander models cover the recreation/utility market while the Renegade 1000 is a s p o r t i e r 4 x 4 A T V. A l l u s e a R o t a x f o u r - s t r o k e V- Tw i n , fed by fuel injection and powering all

four wheels.

The 976cc version delivers a claimed 8 2 h o r s e p o w e r, m a k i n g i t t h e m o s t p o w e r f u l AT V e n g i n e i n t h e w o r l d .

BRP claim the smaller motor is the second most powerful available at 72 horses.

Harnessing the increased output is an all-new chassis, which BRP c a l l s S u r r o u n d i n g S p a r Te c h n o l o g y (SST). The new welded-steel SST frame incorporates new processes

and updated geometry for increased strength, better durability and precision handling. The SST design also provides a lower centre of g r a v i t y, i m p r o v e s h a n d l i n g a n d requires far less components, materials and welds than a traditional tube frame.

Big changes have also been made to the suspension, which incorporates some interesting technologies to get around problems inherent in older

ass

designs.

T h e r e d e s i g n e d Tr a i l i n g To r s i o n a l Independent rear suspension uses 75 per cent less moving parts than competitive systems, was designed to eliminate scrub and camber changes when the suspension moves up and down, reducing fishtailing.

Unique to Can-Am, the proven To r s i o n a l Tr a i l e r i n g a r m I n d e p e n d e n t (TTI) rear suspension has been reconfigured to offer increased rigidity and improved suspension travel of 236mm. This suspension set-up also includes a removable external sway bar and lower pivot points for geometric squatting to improve traction and the transferring of power to the ground.

The Renegade retains its race-tested double A-arm setup, but its suspension travel increased for 2012. The 2012 model uses five-way preload HPG shocks that offer more than an inch of additional suspension travel for both trail comfort and aggressive riding situations. Frontend suspension travel is 228cm. The set-up also inspires confidence, reducing kickback to the operator by locating the knuckle in the wheel.

A CVT automatic transmission is standard, updated from earlier models to provide better performance in wet terrain and conditions. A dedicated drain plug is built into the cover and easily accessible to drain water from the CVT housing. The CVT intake was repositioned to a higher location in the chassis for optimal performance in wet riding conditions.

T h e p ro g re s s i v e a u t o - l o c k i n g Vi s c o - L o k f ro n t d i f f e r e n t i a l i s u n i q u e t o t h e A T V i n d u s t r y. T h e i n n o v a t i v e system constantly monitors front wheel speed and, if it d e t e c t s o n e w h e e l s p i n n i n g m o r e q u i c k l y t h a n t h e o t h e r, it progressively sends additional power to the wheel with better traction. Wheel hop or driveline wind-up is also eliminated to keep the system transparent to the o p e r a t o r.

New cast aluminium wheels reduce unsprung weight Can-Am studied where the forces driving the wheel and discovered a lot of excess metal from the centre could be removed, for a lighter but still very strong, wheel.

Other changes from earlier models include a redesigned a i r b o x , n e w r a d i a t o r, i m p r o v e d m a i n t e n a n c e a c c e s s .

Renegade v Outlander

Although the Renegade and Outlander models share many features and components, you only have to look at

Continued next page

www.cycletorque.com.au

QUAD

them to realise the Renegade is going to be more fun, the Outlander more practical.

Wi t h i t s s t a n d a rd f ro n t a n d re a r r a c k s (now made from a composite material which is light and strong), optional new LinQ quick-attach luggage system, standard storage box at the back (accessed f r o m u n d e r t h e r e a r r a c k o f t h e A T V, s o you can still use it when the machine is loaded) and standard wiring for a winch, the Outlander should be heaps of fun, but also very useful for getting stuff done.

The Renegade sacrifices load for sport.

There are no racks, but there are Fox HPG shocks and more aggressive styling.

Even more features

In North America there are a number o f m o d e l s o f t h e s e AT V s , b u t o u r s m a l l e r market means we will only get the $16,819 higher-spec Renegade 1000 X XC model, not the lower-spec 1000 or 800 models.

Initially the Outlander will be available in 800 XT ($16,149) and 1000 XT ($17,219) variants: the lower-spec version may be available in the future.

C o m m o n t o t h e X T a n d X X C m o d e l s a r e Tr i m o d e D y n a m i c P o w e r S t e e r i n g ( D P S ) a n d Vi s c o - L o k Q E .

The Can-Am DPS system is outfitted with three separate s e l e c t a b l e l e v e l s o f s t e e r i n g a s s i s t a n c e : Minimum, Medium or Maximum. Dynamic Power Steering provides v a r i a b l e s t e e r i n g assistance no matter what mode the rider chooses for the terrain. The system is designed to offer less assist at high speed and more assist at low speed. This technology also includes a Direct Link set-up that uses advanced magnetic field sensors for fast response to steering input, which minimises steering lag.

Vi s c o - L o k Q E s t a n d s f o r q u i c k e r e n g a g e m e n t . A l t h o u g h t h e Vi s c o - L o k Q E f ro n t d i ff e re n t i a l s y s t e m o ff e r s t h e s a m e f e a t u re s a n d b e n e f i t s o f n o r m a l Vi s c o - L o k , i t a l s o a c t s f a s t e r t h a n i t d o e s o n n o n - D P S O u t l a n d e r AT V s .

The Can-Am Renegade 800 X XC also features FOX Racing Shox Podium X fully adjustable suspension, 12inch (30.5 cm) aluminium beadlock wheels, aluminium taper-profile handlebar with square pad, an aluminium

32 – August 2011

skid plate, fullwrap handlebar wind deflectors with aluminium braces, a 650-watt magneto and X-Package s e a t c o v e r.

The Can-Am Outlander XT also features 1360kg winch with roller fairlead, wired remote control and integrated remote storage in the rear cargo hold, 12inch custom-like finish compared to the standard model running 26-inch Carlisle radial tyres for a smoother rider and better shock absorption, heavy-duty front and rear bumpers, a 650-watt magneto and handlebar wind deflectors. The Can-Am Outlander 1000 XT is available i n b l a c k o r s i g n a t u r e y e l l o w. – Nigel Paterson

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dirty torque

The best dirt bike ever...

I AM now into my fifth decade of riding dirt bikes and during a recent ride I was bashing my way around a glorious grass track and the words ‘this is the best bike I have ever ridden’ jumped into my head.

No sooner had the words popped into my head the memories started flooding back to all of the dirt bikes that have had a similar effect on me.

1 9 7 7 Ya m a h a Y Z 8 0 D : After years of wobbling around on my dad’s Honda Z50 and then a s e r i e s o f Ya m a h a G T, MX and the YZ80B I was rapt when Santa Claus managed to fit a pair of YZ80Ds for my brother Paul and I into his sleigh.

This was the second YZ80 model that had the twin shocks laid down but compared to the previous year there was a plethora of upgrades that made the ‘D’ the best bike I had ever ridden.

C o m p a r e d t o m y ‘ B ’ t h e ‘ D ’ w a s f a s t e r, handled way better and I managed to have a very good season with solid results all over Queensland.

1981 Suzuki RM125X: My first 125 w a s a u s e d Ya m a h a Y Z 1 2 5 C b e f o r e d a d bought a new 1978 YZ125E then the 1979 RM125N (apparently Santa Claus had stopped sponsoring me). All good bikes but they paled into insignificance once I rode Suzuki’s all new 1981 RM125X. Wa t e r c o o l e d , F u l l F l o a t e r r e a r suspension, 38mm Kyaba front forks, 88kg dry weight, man, these things were dead set the business. My first ride was a t a c l u b d a y a t Ti v o l i R a c e w a y a n d m y exact words to my dad when I got back to the pits were this. “Dad, this is the b e s t b i k e e v e r, t h e y w i l l n e v e r m a k e a bike better than this.”

1981 Suzuki RM465X: At the 1981 Queensland 500cc Motocross C h a m p i o n s h i p h e l d a t Ti v o l i I w a s r i d i n g a 1979 Suzuki RM400N that happened to be on the used bike lot at Darryl Reek’s Suzuki, the dealership I was working in at the time.

I was 18 years old, this was my first ever 500 race and after the first moto where I managed to salvage a top ten ride I was approached by the head honcho of Suzuki Queensland, Eddie B a i l e y. A p p a r e n t l y S u a r t M c L a c h l a n had hurt himself and his semi-factory

34 – August 2011

RM465X was sitting there without a rider and Eddie wanted to know if I wanted to have a go.

We l l , m y m a t e G r e g Te m m e a n d I p e e l e d my number 313 off the old RM and placed them on the 465 and I went out and rode motos two and three to another pair of top tens despite the fact that this thing was way too fast for my young brain, but it stopped and turned like a dream and that kept me somewhere near the track for most of the races.

Again, I can remember coming back to the pit and blubbering to Greg that ‘this t h i n g i s t h e b e s t b i k e e v e r, t h e u l t i m a t e , nothing ever better…” I got to ride that 465 for the rest of the 1981 season and it holds great memories.

Footnote: My mum was crying after my first moto on the 465, apparently she wasn’t used to watching me tank slapping my way around the track with my feet off the pegs and she was scared for my life.

My answer to her was, “you think you’re scared?”

1983 Kawasaki KX250: After another year on Suzukis and one on a Honda CR250R I was offered a Kawasaki ride in 1983. No-one else was riding Kawasakis coz they weren’t as good as the Suzuki or Honda equivalent but once I laid my eyes on the ’83 model 250 I fell in love and to be honest, I think it loved me b a c k b e c a u s e w e h a d a c r a c k e r y e a r.

I was based in Mt Isa at this stage and was working in the mines but that KX and I won the North Queensland Motocross Championships, the 250 class in the Finke Desert race and the Isa to Camooweal Desert race, and pulled 2nd in the opening moto at the Queensland 2 5 0 c c M o t o c ro s s C h a m p i o n s h i p s a t Ti v o l i before crashing out while leading in moto two.

I even stuck the KX on the podium at a few Supercross races that year so how versatile and reliable can one bike be? I reckon that season I did 20 plus motocross meetings, five plus supercross races, two desert races and a heap of trail riding on one bike.

1986 Honda CR250R: In 1986 I moved back to Brisbane and scored a CR250R and to be honest I wasn’t that impressed with it after my first ride but Craig Dack’s mechanic was Gary Benn and somehow he got my suspension and changed everything. After my first ride I said this to my mechanic…”this is the best bike I have ever ridden...” That Honda and I rode a heap of races that year to solid results across the board.

Of course I didn’t stop riding in 1986 but I’ve run out of room for this month so check the September issue for the rest of my ‘best ever ’ list.

– Darren Smart

www.cycletorque.com.au

RACE torque

Doohan Fine D O M I N AT I N G g r a n d p r i x r a c i n g w a s once an obsession for Mick Doohan.

But after 12 years in retirement it is now something that he watches with i n t e r e s t , s o m e w h a t f r o m a f a r. Wi t h a young family to look after along with several international business interests and his work with sponsors, road safety initiatives as well as the Laureus Foundation, Doohan simply doesn’t have as much time as he would like to immerse himself in all things racing.

Indeed, one senses Doohan views his racing career as an indelible chapter in his life that he can look back on with great pride, but it is a chapter that nevertheless concluded over a decade ago. If there is a hobby that has filled the gap after being forced out of racing at the end of 1999, it is flying his h e l i c o p t e r. H i s o t h e r p a s s i o n i s g e t t i n g kids involved in sport through his work with the Laureus Foundation, which since its inception has raised €40 million for different projects around the world and whose other members includes such as Giacomo Agostini, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Mika Häkkinen. “ N o w, I w o u l d l i k e t o i n t r o d u c e o n e o f our newest Laureus Academy members, five-time world motorcycle champion, Mick Doohan,” said Olympic 400m gold medalist Cathy Freeman at a recent Laureus/Australian Sports Commission function in South Sydney promoting traditional indigenous games and rugby league skills sessions for kids.

Doohan, who became a Laureus member i n F e b r u a r y, w a s t h e r e a l o n g s i d e f e l l o w academy members including female swimmer of the 20th century Dawn Fraser and dual Olympic decathlon champion Daley Thompson.

Wa t c h i n g t h e k i d s g o i n g t h r o u g h t h e i r paces, Mick said, “If you can encourage just two or three of these kids to get involved in sport and have fun doing it - that is the first step. If they enjoy it and want to progress, then discipline and hard work come into it. This is the phase that young [current Red Bull Cup leader] Arthur Sissis is now in.”

Discipline and overcoming huge challenges were the major precepts of D o o h a n ’ s l e g e n d a r y c a r e e r. I n 1 9 9 5 , h e was on the verge of doing a Rossi when he came perilously close to leaving the successful confines of Honda for the u n d e r - p e r f o r m i n g Ya m a h a . Wa y n e R a i n e y began the bidding for Mick’s services,

t h e n Te a m R o b e r t s stepped in with an even bigger offer and a serious contract was drawn up. But Honda came to the party with more dollars to keep the Aussie in its colours for his entire GP c a r e e r. D o o h a n sees parallels with the recent machinations in M o t o G P. “I guess I ended up staying with Honda because they wanted me more than the others. Honda had a policy of hiring t h e b e s t r i d e r s , w h i c h i s w h a t Ya m a h a s t a r t e d t o d o w h e n i t s i g n e d Va l e n t i n o .

Grand prix racing is a business and we have seen Honda going after a top r i d e r , s i g n i n g C a s e y. I t w a s a b u s i n e s s d e c i s i o n . ” A s p a r t o f t h e H o n d a f a m i l y, Doohan says he has been in contact w i t h S t o n e r, w h o h a s s a i d h i s m o v e t o Repsol Honda was inspired by Mick’s stellar years with the team in the ’90s.

Commenting on Rossi’s and Stoner ’s coming together at Jerez, Mick says, “ We l l , t h e y ’ r e t w o g u y s w h o w a n t t o w i n - t h a t ’ s w h a t t h e y d o . Va l e n t i n o s a w t h e opportunity to pass and it didn’t come off. It was a racing incident, and that’s t h e e n d o f i t r e a l l y. ” A b i t g r e y e r, b u t j u s t a s l e a n a s h e w a s when he was racing, Doohan, who turned 46 in June, doesn’t walk with a limp and says he has no lingering after-affects from the serious injuries he sustained at Assen in 1992 and later at Jerez in ’99.

“As soon as I got off the crutches [in ‘99], my recovery was pretty good and I h a v e n ’ t h a d m u c h t r o u b l e r e a l l y. I d o e n o u g h e x e r c i s e t o s t o p g o i n g r u s t y, b u t that’s about it.”

Aussie triathlete world champion Emma Snowsill was at the Laureus event as part o f t h e b u i l d u p t o t h e S y d n e y Tr i a t h l o n on April 17, and Mick jokingly gave her a bit of a serve during one of the rugby league drills, “C’mon, do what you’re told!” Asked whether he would ever consider doing a triathlon, Doohan demurred. “ We l l r u n n i n g i s o u t o f t h e q u e s t i o n , so I suppose I could do the swimming and cycling legs, but I’m not really a

t r i a t h l e t e k i n d a g u y. R a c i n g b i k e s w a s what I did for sport, and that’s about it for me.”

What isn’t over is the fact that statistically Mick Doohan is the number one rider of the past 35 years. Five years ago when I created this table, Rossi was out on his own but his injury-plagued 2010 coupled to his baffling first year with Ducati has seen his win percentage slip way below 50 percent as at Assen 2 0 11 , a n d i t w i l l d ro p b e l o w D o o h a n ’ s by season’s end pushing him into third behind Kenny Roberts.

– Darryl Flack

August 2011 – 35

Cycle Torque Touring Feature

It only takes a bit of water for your plans to change big time.

Part 1 was published in the July issue: find it online at www.cycletorque.com.au/more.

BROKEN Hill is a mining town, although in many ways it’s a shadow of its former self in that regard. Like may regional cities, Broken Hill has reinvented itself so its residents don’t rely only on the mining industry for work.

Of course the big hill which dominates the landscape on the very edge of town is still a working mine, and the home of a massive mining museum, including the monument for miners lost doing their job.

Reading the list of names and how they died is very sobering and a reminder that OH&S wasn’t so prevalent in the early years of the mining boom.

We c r u i s e d i n t o t h e P a l a c e H o t e l , famous for its amazing wall murals which were featured in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in the heart of BH at 227 Argent Street (08 8088 1699). It’s got to be over 100 years old and is massive, three storeys high. Because I snore I got my own room and I wasn’t about to argue. The Palace would be our home

for the next couple of days while we explored BH and its surrounds, and as we found out it also had a lovely restaurant.

We d i d h a v e o n e i s s u e t h o u g h . I n e e d e d to get the crashed Moto Guzzi Stelvio o ff t h e t r a i l e r. I t h a d b e e n r u n n i n g a f t e r the crash but sitting on a trailer behind a 4WD for 400 kilometres of dirt hadn’t done the bike any favours. It refused t o s t a r t o r e v e n t u r n o v e r, a n d a l l w e could assume was that vibration or dirt had caused some loosening or fouling of electrical connections.

As we were unloading the bike a friendly voice asked us if we needed a hand. A member of a local HarleyDavidson motorcycle club was heading to the clubhouse for some Friday evening drinks and offered us the use of the clubhouse to store the bike overnight. I’d love to thank him by name but of course I can’t find the card he gave me. I seem to recall his name was P e t e r. W h a t h i s k i n d n e s s s h o w s i s b i k e e n t h u s i a s t s f ro m a l l o v e r s t i c k t o g e t h e r.

I’ve found it in every country I’ve ridden.

Fixing for Silverton

The next morning we retrieved the Stelvio and got to work getting it started. At one stage four of us were working on the bike pulling panels off t o g e t t o t h e m e a t y b i t s . We c o u l d n ’ t find anything glaringly obvious so we pushed it a couple of doors down to the local motorcycle shop and used their compressor to get as much of the red dirt as possible out of the nooks and crannies. Presto, she fired up and we had our Guzzi back in action.

A quick change from shorts into jeans and we were all off – with the Stelvio leading the way mind you – to Silverton, some 20 odd kilometres out of Broken Hill. I must admit to being a huge Mad Max fan and have wanted to see the town where much of Mad Max 2 was made for many years. What a cool place.

First stop was for a beer and sausage sanga’ at the Silverton Hotel. A film

Outback Adventure

Pt II

Crossing the Turon River.

Continued next page

That evening we enjoyed a BBQ on the huge verandah of the Palace Hotel. For $15 a head we got a massive T-bone, salads etc. Craig Reeves fancies himself as a bit of a chef so he volunteered to cook everyone’s steak. I asked for medium but got medium rare so he can’t be that good. Having said that, it was great to kick back with a bourbon and watch my meal get cooked. It was a perfect ending to a great couple of days at Broken Hill. of some sort was being made at Silverton so we spent some time chatting to some of the cast and the husband and wife publicans, checking out the Mad Max memorabilia, having another beer and a cruise through one of the art galleries.

There’s also a new Mad Max museum which is owned and run by a Pommie. Apparently he became so engrossed in the movie and its folklore that he just had to move to Australia.

He then relocated to Silverton where he started the museum which has a couple of cars and loads of other stuff from the movie.

A very pleasant afternoon was finished off with a trip to the Mungi Mungi Lookout just out of Silverton. From there the landscape just flattens out towards the horizon.

S i m p l y s p e c t a c u l a r. I c a n j u s t i m a g i n e M a x ’ s V 8 I n t e rc e p t o r screaming along that outback road.

Menindee and beyond

We w o k e t o r a i n , a n d b e f o r e w e l e f t t o w n a f e w o f u s w a n t e d t o c h e c k o u t t h e P r o H a r t g a l l e r y. I l o v e h i s w o r k a n d I s a t t r a n s f i x e d w a t c h i n g a d o c u m e n t a r y o n h i s l i f e . We e v e n g o t t o see the old ads he did for Stainmaster carpets, the one where he paints with food products.

With that out of the way we headed south west to Menindee, which is one of the last towns Burke and Wills visited during t h e i r e x p e d i t i o n t o t h e G u l f c o u n t r y. L o t s o f r o a d s i n t h e Broken Hill area are flat, as you would expect, but the 100 kilometre run to Menindee starts with about 30 kilometres of winding, slightly hilly race track quality tarmac. Let’s just say that a few bikes were well exercised during this s t r e t c h . We k n e w t h e M e n i n d e e L a k e s w e r e f u l l f r o m r e c e n t rains, and we planned to stay the night at Menindee and then

Living it up at the ‘Palace’.

travel through to the Mungo National Park to meet up with D a n i e l w h o w a s h e a d i n g b a c k o v e r f r o m t h e C l a r e Va l l e y.

Unfortunately the rain had made many roads impassable, as we were to find out.

As we rolled into Menindee a few of us were keen for a coffee so we checked out a little cafe run by kids from the local school on weekends. A couple of old trains are used, one for you to enjoy a cappuccino and a bit of cake, while the other is available to stay in, with the rooms being the old sleeper cabins.

As much as this was enticing we had already booked into the Albemarle Hotel (08 8091 4212) where we enjoyed basic b u n k h o u s e a c c o m m o d a t i o n . I p l o n k e d m y s e l f a t t h e b a r, watched my favourite NRL team get beat, drank my sorrows and ate a brilliant counter meal. Everyone else seemed to be doing the same and a number of us commented we couldn’t remember how many years it had been since we ate a meal at the bar of a pub. Prices were cheap and we were well looked a f t e r.

Where to now?

We a s k e d s o m e l o c a l s i f w e c o u l d g e t t h r o u g h o n t h e d i r t roads after the heavy rain and their replies ranged from

‘impossible’ to ‘maybe’. That made our planned route to the Mungo National Park out of the question, which required some frantic calls to Daniel to let him know the change in plans.

It turned out the group would split in half, with the riders on machines with more aggressive tyres willing to give it a go, while reluctantly the others made the decision to head back to Broken Hill, then on to Wilcannia and Cobar for the o v e r n i g h t s t a y.

Nigel, Ron and I met Daniel at BH, while the two Craigs, Matt, ‘Harry’ and Lincoln headed from Menindee to Ivanhoe.

We h a d o v e r 5 0 0 k i l o m e t r e s t o d o s o h e a d e d o f f t o C o b a r, stopped for a nicely brewed coffee at a rest stop between Wi l c a n n i a a n d C o b a r. D a n i e l j u s t h a p p e n e d t o h a v e a l i t t l e gadget which brews coffee, and he also had some cheese, salami and biscuits. Living it up we were, especially after we borrowed some cups from caravanners staying the night at the rest stop. What we didn’t know at that stage was the crew heading to Ivanhoe had only made it 30 kilometres out of town before the mud got too bad to continue. Both Craigs fell o f f t h e i r m a c h i n e s , a B M W F 6 5 0 G S a n d a Ya m a h a 6 6 0 T é n é r é , while the front guards on the two 990 KTM Adventures broke off when sticky mud quickly filled the gap between tyre and

Continued next page

Dreaming of Max.

guard. They then made an executive decision to head back to M e n i n d e e a n d f o l l o w o u r f o o t s t e p s t o C o b a r. B y t h e n i t w a s getting late and they had to stay at Wilcannia instead.

We t r u n d l e d i n t o C o b a r a f t e r r i d i n g a n h o u r i n t h e d a r k .

Each rest stop we went past had travellers sitting beside fires and we would have liked to do the same but our tents and sleeping bags were in the backup 4WD. The outback can be a very dangerous place to ride at night, and we saw everything from goats to kangaroos loitering on the side of the road r e a d y t o s p o i l o u r e v e n i n g . We m a d e i t t h o u g h a n d s p e n t a n e n j o y a b l e e v e n i n g a t t h e G r e a t We s t e r n H o t e l w h i c h l o o k s t o be recently renovated.

Work before play

We h a d s o m e m a c h i n e t r o u b l e s s o s t r a i g h t t o M & C P a r i s i Motorcycles in Cobar for some help. Claude allowed us the use of his workshop, and he even talked us out of buying a n e w t y r e f o r t h e Tr i u m p h Ti g e r 8 0 0 , c o n v i n c i n g u s i t w o u l d survive the trip home. Now if that’s not service I don’t know what is. He even made us a decent cappucino too. Small town hospitality is everywhere in the outback. Call in and see them i f y o u ’ re p a s s i n g t h ro u g h C o b a r. T h e y a re a t 2 0 F re d e r i c k S t ( 0 2 6 8 3 6 2 6 6 9 ) , a n d y o u c a n g e t a c o p y o f C y c l e To r q u e t h e r e too.

The outback’s behind us now

While we were were playing with bikes the rest of the crew trundled into town. From there it was a straight run from Cobar through to Narromine for the overnight stay at the Court House Hotel in Burraway Street (02 6889 1015). Ron challenged me to darts. He thought I’d be an easy beat. I proved him wrong.

Next morning we hightailed it through to Molong, Orange a n d B a t h u r s t w h e r e w e f u e l l e d u p t o t a c k l e t h e B r i d l e Tr a c k t o Hill End, our last evening destination.

I t h a d b e e n a w h i l e s i n c e I ’ d d o n e t h e B r i d l e Tr a c k s o w i t h a few false starts and wrong turns I finally found where we needed to go. This is quite a picturesque and historic trail, punctuated by a couple of sections of track where it can be curtains for you if you somehow get off course. The tar road winding down to where the dirt starts is simply fantastic b u t i t i s n a r r o w a n d y o u h a v e t o b e c a r e f u l . T h e B r i d l e Tr a c k i t s e l f f o l l o w s t h e Tu r o n R i v e r a n d w a s u s e d b y t r a v e l l e r s w h e n the Hill End Gold Rush was at its peak. Now it’s mainly used by campers and the like, and adventure riders of course.

As we rode along we came to a section of track which had b e e n w a s h e d a w a y, b u t l u c k i l y a n a l t e r n a t i v e b y p a s s h a d b e e n put in by some four wheel drivers. There were other sections f u r t h e r a l o n g w h i c h w e r e d a m a g e d b y f l o o d w a t e r t o o . We found the road passable to motorcycles but cars couldn’t get through.

The last 10 kilometres of track heading into Hill End is quite tight and narrow and the light was fading fast. It was all but dark when we arrived at the Royal Hotel in Hill End.

A taste of history

Hill End really is a step back in time. The publican’s 1930s restored Packard sits out the front of the hotel, and the warm fire inside helped my body get back to temperature, helped a little by the Bundy and Coke I expect. Accommodation is so much better than the pittance we were charged ($35-40 a head). Overnighters need to share the bathrooms but the decor is perfect for the time period, very clean and the atmosphere is great.

The view from Mungi Mungi Lookout.

The sign says it all.

We e n j o y e d a n i c e m e a l a n d w a t c h e d N S W g e t beat by Qld in State of Origin.

After a walk around the historic town which once boasted over 5000 residents and some 25 hotels, we headed to Dimity’s shop for a cooked breakfast. With reluctance we decided to pack up for the last day’s ride back to N e w c a s t l e v i a D e n m a n a n d t h e B y a l o n g Va l l e y Wa y.

The run from Hill End to Sofala still has some dirt but the new tar surface is pure fun on a bike. A quick tour through Sofala’s streets and we were off to Ilford, Kandos, Ry l s t o n e a n d t h e B y l o n g Va l l e y Wa y w h i c h i s a f a n t a s t i c r u n n o w t h a t i t ’ s t a r a l l t h e w a y.

Denman, Singleton and then home.

– Chris Pickett

Negotiating the Bridle Track on the way to Hill End.

Everyman’s Adventure Cycle Torque Tour Test: BMW F 800 GS, part 2

OVER 10 days of outback touring across all sorts of bitumen and gravel roads, the BMW F 800 GS test machine performed absolutely f a u l t l e s s l y. I t d i d n ’ t m i s s a b e a t o r p u t a foot wrong at any stage.

About the biggest complaint was from a c o u p l e o f r i d e r s n e w t o B M W, h a v i n g t r o u b l e getting used to the indicator switches being on each handlebar… but I’ve done enough miles on BMs that I now actually prefer this system.

I’ll admit it took me a few days to really warm to the 800 GS’s charms. At first it felt underpowered for a multi-cylinder machine, but I’d been riding the KTM 990 Adventure R: another time I jumped on it I thought it felt too much like a road bike, but I’d been riding t h e Ya m a h a X T Z 6 6 0 : b u t w h e n I r o d e i t u p t h e B r i d l e Tr a c k t o H i l l E n d I r e a l l y d i d s t a r t t o understand the balance that is the F 800 GS. In this machine BMW has tried to build balance between weight, size, performance and handling, and all at a price competitive with other manufacturers’ offerings.

S o t h e e n g i n e p e r f o r m a n c e i s n ’ t s t e l l a r, but it offers more than enough for the average rider and plenty on loose surfaces.

The parallel twin motor is also fairly light, allowing BMW to make the bike a lot easier to throw around than its 1200 range, which in turn inspires confidence in tough conditions.

The GS is also compact in its dimensions, feeling only a little larger than the single c y l i n d e r b i k e s o n t h e t o u r.

The package adds up to a machine which isn’t so small to be tiring for long rides on bitumen (although protection from the tiny screen is minimal) but isn’t so big as to sap confidence in tough conditions off road.

BMW’s F 800 GS covers all the bases when it comes to adventure touring…

The conventional forks and single rear shock are also well balanced to offer decent wheel travel and bump absorption off road without wallowing too much if you’re trying to press on along good bitumen.

L i k e m o s t b i k e s o n t h i s t o u r, y o u n e e d to customise an 800 GS to make it really suitable for adventure touring. There’s no luggage standard, indeed no storage capacity at all - not even a rear rack. BMW has a whole complement of luggage available and there are aftermarket options available too.

I’d add a set of handguards, although that’s more for protection against hitting things rather than keeping the weather at bay: the bike has heated handgrips standard, and was the only bike on this test with heated grips.

I’d also ditch the thin plastic engine guard in favour of an alloy model.

Ty r e s f o r a l l a d v e n t u r e b i k e s a r e a conundrum: good performance off road usually means a tyre which can wear out in just a few days of sustained high speed road use, whereas more road-oriented tyres don’t offer the confidence off road many riders feel

they need.

Here’s the secret: drop the tyre pressures of your more road-oriented tyres when riding off road and they will perform much, much b e t t e r. S o f i n d r o o m i n y o u r l u g g a g e f o r a pump so you can keep tyres inflated at the right pressure for the conditions and you’ll get a lot more life and confidence from your r u b b e r.

The riding position of the GS is a little unusual: I feel the footpegs are set a little too far forward, which makes riding standing up a little less comfortable than I think it should be, and makes getting from sitting to standing take a fraction of a second longer than it should, too.

BMW’s F 800 GS is an awesome mid-range adventure bike. It’s a real package that is not-too-big, not-too-small.

Report by Nigel Paterson.

Just right adventurer A S A N a l l - r o u n d b i k e t h e Tr i u m p h T i g e r 800XC is one of the best on the market.

Its 800cc three cylinder engine isn’t a powerhouse, but it doesn’t have to be, it has one of the most comfortable seats around, and the suspension is designed to cope with our crap roads. On top o f t h a t y o u c a n e x p l o r e o u r c o u n t r y ’s nether regions where most bikes would fear to tread.

When compared to the other bikes on the t o u r, t h e Ti g e r w a s p r o b a b l y t h e s e c o n d most road oriented bike, behind the Moto Guzzi. In this field the bike is a real p e a r l e r. N o t o n l y c a n i t c r u i s e e a s i l y a t well over the national speed limit, the rider does it in comfort.

Combined with the genuine touring accessories that came with our test bike, t h e Ti g e r 8 0 0 i s a re a l a l l - ro a d s t o u r d e force.

Where shorter riders will be wary of the tall seat heights on many of the adventure b i k e s a ro u n d , t h e Ti g e r c o m b a t s t h a t w i t h a seat height that’s adjustable. It’s not that high in the tallest position (865mm) a n y w a y.

Fitted with aggressive Metzeler Karoo tyres the bike handled better than most

expected on the dirt. I had already a t t e n d e d t h e Ti g e r 8 0 0 X C a n d Ti g e r 8 0 0 launches and knew well what the bike could do, so I wasn’t surprised. Even the standard 800 with its cast alloy 19”/17” wheel combo works well in the dirt, so the XC with its 21” front wheel (both are s p o k e d ) c a n o n l y b e b e t t e r.

Wi t h t h e a l l o y p a n n i e r s , s e a t b a g , ro l l b a g and tank bag all full the bike knew it was carrying it. Any difference in power wasn’t really noticeable but you could notice the difference on the dirt.

In the first instalment of the story we mentioned one of the guys on the trip would earmark the bike as his own during the trip. Ron reluctantly handed over the keys at times but generally it was his bum on the seat. The funny thing is, he wasn’t that keen on the bike after his first day on it. As the trip wore on he became much more at home on the bike and when he did try others he couldn’t wait to get back on t h e Ti g e r. H e i s u s u a l l y a v e r y h a r s h j u d g e of bike character but fell in love with the Ti g e r.

By the time we had done a few thousand kilometres the rear Karoo was all but stuffed. It would last the trip but the

last couple of days had us expecting a puncture. On the run into Hill End along t h e B r i d l e Tr a c k , R o n s h o w e d u s a l l a c l e a n pair of heels. He’s not an experienced adventure rider as such, and it highlighted perfectly how good the suspension is on the XC, and how the friendly nature of the engine allows riders to crack along at a deceptively quick pace.

On the final sprint home, Ron gave the bike its head on a country road he calls his ‘test track’, commenting it was one of the best bikes he’s ever ridden along there.

Everyone on the trip who rode the XC gave the bike a big rap. On the road and on dirt roads it performed very well.

W h e n t h e t r a c k s g e t n a r r o w e r, g e t b i g rocks or deep sand you’ll have to be a g o o d r i d e r t o g e t t h e b e s t o u t o f t h e Ti g e r 800 because realistically it’s starting to get out of its element in such conditions.

Yo u c o u l d s a y t h e s a m e a b o u t p r e t t y m u c h any big capacity adventure tourer though because of the sheer size of such machines.

Inexperienced adventure riders aren’t meant to be taking these types of bikes into really tough conditions.

F o r Tr i u m p h ’ s f i r s t s e r i o u s a t t e m p t a t a proper adventure bike it’s a top effort.

Report by Chris Pickett

Cycle Torque Tour Test: Triumph Tiger 800XC, part 2

The Tiger 800XC is the middle of the pack. Not too small and not too big.

Big bore dirt bikes Cycle Torque Test: KTM 990 Adventure & 990 Adventure R, 690 Enduro R, part 2

KTM is famous for its dirt bikes, and its Adventure machines reflect that heritage.

THERE is little doubt the KTM 990 Adventure R is the adventure bike of choice for dirt bike riders wanting to m o v e i n t o t h e c a t e g o r y.

KTM’s heritage as a premium championshipwinning dirt bike manufacturer and the d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e V- t w i n A d v e n t u r e r a n g e over the last decade or so has resulted in a kick-arse bike which can go almost anywhere, a t h i g h s p e e d , c o m f o r t a b l y a n d s a f e l y. A d d in a huge list of options and accessories and versatility comes to the fore, too.

Along with those capabilities comes an eyewatering price tag, nose-bleed seat height and plenty of weight, so the 990 Adventure R certainly isn’t for everyone.

So there’s the standard 990 Adventure.

T h e s e a t ’ s l o w e r, t h e p o w e r d e l i v e r y s o f t e r, the suspension more compliant. There’s switchable ABS, and, of course, a huge range of options and accessories to tailer the bike

to suit your style and needs.

A n d i t ’ s $ 1 0 0 0 c h e a p e r.

If the Adventure R is for the dirt bike rider wanting to move into Adventure riding, the standard 990 is for the road bike rider wanting to move into the Adventure scene.

It’s a better bike on the long haul, a better bike on the road, and the ABS really adds a m a r g i n f o r e r r o r.

H o w e v e r, i f y o u ’ r e e v e r l i k e l y t o w a n t t o charge through the dirt like you’ve entered t h e P a r i s - D a k a r, t h e A d v e n t u r e R i s f o r y o u .

Or maybe you should consider the KTM 690 Enduro R, and tailor it for adventure riding.

While adventure bikes are fantastic machines and are very versatile, a 690 Enduro R is a dirt bike with some road manners. Our resident dirt guru, Darren Smart, rode our test bike to work regularly and then went out and shocked enduro bike owners with his ability to charge through the bush at high speed, making owners of WRs, CRFs and EXCs really sit up and take notice.

F o r C y c l e To r q u e ’ s b i g o u t b a c k adventure we added the Safari fuel tank supplied by KTM Australia, Sava tyres, G-IT bash plate and rack from Adventure Moto, a gel seat and touring screen from KTM. All these accessories didn’t make the 690 into a 990, but they did make the bike into a genuine adventure t o u r e r . O n l y t h e Ya m a h a X T Z 6 6 0 Ténéré and the 690 R in our test group felt good on wet, slippery roads, and they feel like dirt bikes. The 690 carries a lot less

weight than any of the multi-cylinder bikes, has a riding position designed more for performance than comfort, is awesome to ride standing up and goes exactly where you point it.

It doesn’t have the outright performance of the multis, but could be the fastest bike in tough conditions - when the big bikes are turning into a handful, the 690 is really coming into its own.

I would recommend the 690 Enduro R to anyone wanting a dirt bike 50 weeks of the year and an adventure machine for the other two.

The 990 Adventure R carried heaps of l u g g a g e , t h e C y c l e To r q u e c a m e r a g e a r , onboard cameras and lots more on our adventure trip. Its performance - engine, suspension, comfort - was all excellent. Only in wet, sloppy off-road conditions did it start to feel less than comfortable, although I would have liked to have had a steering damper when soft sand started the oscillation which screams ‘tankslapper ’ (watch the 990 video to see the onboard footage of this w w w. c y c l e t o r q u e . c o m . a u / m o r e ) . I d i d n ’ t crash in those conditions, but one of our crew did.

But despite my love of the 990 Adventure R, I reckon most riders would be better off with a standard 990. The standard version, with its lower price, lower seat and ABS makes it a better all-round machine, especially if most of your riding is done on the bitumen.

Te s t b y N i g e l P a t e r s o n

To s e e p a r t o n e o f t h i s s t o r y , a v i d e o r e v i e w a n d l i n k s t o s p e c i f i c a t i o n s e t c , g o t o w w w. cycletorque.com.au/more.

Adventure value Cycle Torque Test: YAMAHA XTZ660 Ténéré, part 2

Y A M A H A’ S X T Z 6 6 0 T é n é r é offers an awesome combination o f c a p a b i l i t y a n d v a l u e . I t ’s n o t t o o h e a v y, t o o e x p e n s i v e o r t o o intimidating. It comes pretty w e l l r e a d y - t o - r o l l , b u t t h e r e ’s also a heap of accessories available to make it perfect for your usage and needs.

For the rider eating miles across tough terrain, the XTZ can be equipped with an alloy bash plate, engine protection and handguards, so going down in the bush is unlikely to cause major expense o r t h e i n a b i l i t y t o c o n t i n u e . Wi t h i t s s i n g l e cylinder motor it’s a lightweight by adventure bike standards, so it’s less likely to be on its s i d e a n y w a y, a n d i s a d a m n s i g h t e a s i e r t o pick up, too.

For the long distance tourer the Ténéré’s performance is adequate, although highway overtaking usually requires a downshift or two, and the pipes do restrict the breathing a b i t ( Ya m a h a o f f e r s A k r a p o v i c m u f f l e r s … ) , b u t the fuel-injected engine is frugal and the tank a decent size, so more than 300km between r e f i l l s i s e a s y.

F o r C y c l e To r q u e ’ s b i g a d v e n t u r e t r i p t h e b i k e was also fitted with the genuine panniers, w h i c h s w a l l o w a d e c e n t a m o u n t o f g e a r, b u t I think the fittings and mounting mechanism are unnecessarily complex.

Unusually for an off-road machine the rider ’s seat is scolloped out a bit, which m a k e s r e a c h i n g t h e g r o u n d a l o t e a s i e r, b u t if you’re riding hard off road it makes it a bit more difficult to move around: there’s always compromise in these things. The seat comfort and riding position are great: it’s very comfortable to ride long distances, both sitting in the saddle and standing when offroad. It’s relatively vibration-free for a big s i n g l e , t o o : Ya m a h a ’ s d o n e s o m e w o r k i n t h i s

area, fitting very heavy weights to the ends of the handlebars (which are removed if you add the handguards) and there are removable rubber inserts in the footpegs, which we left at the office.

W h a t I b e l i e v e Ya m a h a h a s b u i l t i s a machine which can do quite serious off-road work, albeit at lower speeds than on enduro bikes. But where enduro machinery is awful to ride on the road, the XTZ simply chugs along, eating the miles comfortably behind a reasonably protective fairing, which sits q u i t e a l o n g w a y f o r w a r d o f t h e r i d e r, w h e r e it’s less likely to get in the way when you’re standing up.

The versatility of the Ténéré make it a bike you could use all year: commuting to work, big adventures, even trailriding.

One thing I wouldn’t recommend for the Ténéré is two-up touring: for day rides and short trips, fine, but for longer distances at higher speeds I think the addition of a pillion passenger would make riding tiring for both people.

There’s also been some controversy about the $13,999+ORC price: the Ténéré is considerably more expensive than some other single-cylinder dual-purpose bikes such as Kawasaki’s

KLR650 and Suzuki’s DR650.

I actually don’t believe they compete that c l o s e l y. T h e D R a n d K L R a r e b o t h g r e a t bikes: they have both been around essentially unchanged for donkeys’ years, but they are dual purpose bikes, not adventure machines.

To t u r n e i t h e r i n t o a n a d v e n t u r e b i k e i s very possible and a popular thing to do, b u t i t t a k e s t i m e a n d m o n e y, w h e r e a s t h e T é n é r é i s r e a d y t o g o o f f t h e s h o w r o o m f l o o r, especially as you can have one configured with the accessories of your choosing before you wheel it out of the dealer ’s showroom. I don’t consider the Ténéré an expensive dual purpose bike, I look on it as a cheap adventure machine.

Report by Nigel Paterson Vi s i t w w w . c y c l e t o r q u e . c o m . a u / m o r e t o s e e a C y c l e To r q u e v i d e o a b o u t t h e b i k e , l i n k s t o p a r t one of this story and lots more information about the bike.

www.cycletorque.com.au

Tough enough

IN THE last issue we touched on the fact our test Moto Guzzi had been involved i n a c r a s h . I t w a s n ’t a m i n o r o n e e i t h e r, it was big enough to see our rider unable to continue and get a trip with the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

A f t e r t h e d u s t h a d s e t t l e d , l i t e r a l l y, w e started the Stelvio up and rode it up the ramp o n t o t h e b a c k u p t r a i l e r. T h e p a n n i e r s w e r e stuffed, one we couldn’t even get off, so they were strapped securely to the bike, and both pannier frames were bent. Other damage we could see consisted of a crash bar bent back, j u s t t o u c h i n g t h e r i g h t c y l i n d e r, a s c r a t c h e d screen and a spotlight.

Prior to the unfortunate crash on the road f r o m B o u r k e t o Wa n a a r i n g t h e S t e l v i o h a d a c q u i t t e d i t s e l f a d m i r a b l y. O n t h e o p e n r o a d it was very easy to ride, handled well and had l o t s o f l u g g a g e c a p a c i t y. T h r o w i n t h e g r u n t y engine, the bike won some friends. I was the first rider to sample dirt on the bike, and although I felt the tyres weren’t as aggressive as I’d have liked for soft dirt, it still coped very well considering it was by far the biggest adventure bike on the trip.

Fully loaded the rear shock – which has hydraulic preload adjustment – struggled with big dips in the road, often bottoming out.

When I ramped up the preload it became a bit harsh. Likewise with the manually adjustable screen. I just never got it in a spot where I got rid of buffeting, one of my pet bugbears, but the other riders never complained about it. Overall though, I, and the other few riders which gave the Stelvio a run on the first day of the tour had pleasing things to say about the bike.

46 – August 2011

How it all came undone is a combination of c i rc u m s t a n c e a n d c o n d i t i o n s . G a re t h Wi l l i a m s had spent most of the day on the bike and was happily tootling along on the dirt at around 80km/h. His vision was obscured by heavy dust from another vehicle, and as he veered to the left of the road hit some thick sand, and a few wheel ruts which saw him lose control of the Stelvio, although he fought it to the bitter end.

When we got to Broken Hill the bike refused t o t u r n o v e r, e v e n t h o u g h i t h a d p o w e r. T h e short of it is we pulled lots of panels off and blew out the copious amounts of red dust the bike had accumulated while it was being towed o n t h e t r a i l e r. I t t h e n f i r e d a n d n e v e r m i s s e d a beat for the rest of the trip, some 2,500 kilometres.

Besides the obvious damage, the bike never showed any side effects of the crash while being ridden, tracking straight and true.

The last throw of the dice for the big Guzzi

Cycle Torque Tour Test: Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200 NTX, part 2

was the run from Bathurst to Hill End on t h e B r i d l e Tr a c k , w h i c h is not enduro type of terrain, but it’s not s o f t a d v e n t u r e e i t h e r.

If you are on a big adventure bike you’ll have a bit of work to d o o n t h e B r i d l e Tr a c k .

The Stelvio is a capable machine in the rough stuff if you are confident with your capabilities. I found I could lug the bike around very tight corners in third gear – which saved me unnecessary gear changes – and which should give you an insight into how much torque the engine has.

W h i l e t h e S t e l v i o i s h a p p i e s t o n t h e t a r, i t will gladly have a go at whatever you throw at it.

Report by Chris Pickett

GRAPHIC

RRP

$119.50

PLAIN

RRP

$99.95

INFORMATION FROM OUR ADVERTISERS 1

Get some form

2

Dual Sport

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Safari suit

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Clear Shot

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Tent time

NIGEL’S Forma boots are European made and have no zips to stuff up. Use them for trail, touring, commuting and adventure riding. Light, comfortable and waterproof. Dual density, oil-resistant sole. Outer of full grain Nabuk leather, adjustable velcro closure and replaceable/adjustable GH plastic buckles. Shin and ankle reinforcement and a special stiff nylon midsole.

Price: $390 Available from: Andy Strapz

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SHOEI’S Hornet DS gives you a snug comfortable fit, as you’d expect from a top-of-the line manufacturer.

The quality of finish is simply superb, and the combination of good-sealing visor under the integral peak is perfect for adventure bikes. The peak keeps the sun out of the eyes in the trees and the visor is what you need on a freeway, so it’s a versatile combination. If you decide to get serious off road you can swap the visor for a pair of goggles, and you could also remove the peak and run the helmet as a standard full-face lid, too, so it is a bit like getting two helmets for the money.

Price: $899.90 Available from: Leading bike shops

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NIGEL’S favourite touring set up is his BMW Rallye 2 two piece adventure touring suit. He got it in 2009 and it’s done a few trips around the place, with a few different bodies inside it.

Fitted with Goretex liners, the jacket and pants become waterproof, and the fit and quality is second to none, as you would expect from BMW. Back in ’09 this suit cost around $1800, so you would expect the new Rallye 3 suit (Rallye 2 discontinued) to cost a bit more.

Available from: BMW dealers nationwide WHEN touring we often have to wait for fuel top ups to clean our bug ridden visors.

Clear Shot’s handy kit includes spray and two microfibre cloths. Suitable for motorcycle helmets, goggles, sunglasses, cameras, binoculars, scopes, scuba masks and more.

All in a rugged case to protect from dirt and grime.

Don’t wait for a servo, clean your eyewear whenever you like.

Price: $26.95 Available from: Adventure Moto

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DURING our trip we used a Redverz Tenere tent from Adventure Moto.

The cool thing about the tent is it has a section where you can keep your bike out of the weather, almost like it’s own garage.

It’s simple to put up (check out our video of it at www.cycletorque.com.au/more) and easy to pack away.

It’s a decent sized tent able to take 3-4 people pretty easily so doesn’t pack up to nothing but could be strapped on a rack, pannier or pillion seat without any issues.

Impressive quality too. There’s a Mk II version out soon.

Price: $495 Available from: Direct from Adventure Moto

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More Information: www.cycletorque.com.au/more

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Keep dry on your moto

MOTODRY Adventurer riding gear worn by both Matt and Daniel features CE armour protection, inbuilt 3litre hydration system, vented mesh outer shell for maximum ventilation, zip-off arms, also includes waterproof thermal lining for cooler climates. Sizes XS to 4XL (to 6XL in black/silver only). The Demon pants are made of 600 denier Kodra and are 100 per cent breathable/waterproof. They have a removable quilted liner with knee gussets for comfort and night safety reflectives. We’ve worn this gear in the snow in France at a Yamaha Tenere launch - it works!

Price: $349 Demon Pants $225 Available from: Good bike shops everywhere 7

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Cross over

AS ADVENTURE riding becomes more popular so will this type of dual purpose helmet. Zeus’ ZS 2100 B design fits well but if your head is an odd shape you can change over some of the internal padding pieces to tailor it to your head.

You can remove the peak without the need for tools, and besides looking very modern the ZS 2100 B works well in the real world. The design keeps wind noise down to acceptable levels and the overall fit and finish is very good.

All sizes and a number of different colours are available, as are tinted and iridium visors.

Price: $249 Available from: Leading bike shops 9

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Rallye time

BOTH Daniel and Chris wore RXT Rallye helmets during our outback adventure. If you think the cheap price reflects inferior quality you’d be wrong. Besides a nice fit the helmet has a wide eyeport which gives great vision, and the Rallye is also good at keeping wind noise to a minimum.

With a visor and flip up screen it’s perfect for adventure riding, although like any helmet with a peak, can catch the wind a bit at higher road speeds. But hey if you don’t like that then just remove the peak and run without it.

They look smart in both graphic and solid colours and come in all sizes.

Price: Graphic $199, solid colours $179 Available from: Bike shops everywhere 8

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Chris’ Triumph gear

CHRIS has had the Triumph adventure jacket and pants for a while now but he reckons it’s one of the best textile suits he’s ever worn.

With the liners in, the jacket and pants become waterproof and toasty in winter temperatures.

Lots of pockets allow you to carry lots of stuff. In fact there’s so many pockets he actually lost a neck warmer in one for a few days, finding it after he returned from Cycle Torque’s outback adventure.

There’s nothing worse than a jacket which fits your body but has a neck designed to fit someone much smaller. Don’t worry, the Triumph jacket’s neck size is the right ratio.

Price: Jacket $495, pants $449 Available from: Triumph dealers nationwide

More Information: www.cycletorque.com.au/more

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Tall screen

KTM’S 690 Enduro R comes standard with an enduro style headlight cowl which is not much chop keeping wind off the rider at 100km/h + in the desert.

KTM’s accessory touring screen fixed all that, and was fitted in a campsite in about 10 minutes with a couple of tools and a pocket knife. How easy is that?

P r i c e : $122.35 Ava i l ab l e f r o m : KTM dealers nationwide 2

Safari tank

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FITTING a Safari tank to the 690 Enduro R transformed the bike. In one step the 690 R went from having the smallest fuel range to the largest.

When fitted it complements the standard tank, rather than replacing it, so a range of something like 600 kilometres is feasible.

Plastic construction, Safari tanks are known for their toughness, and really add value to your bike when you want to update.

You will notice a difference in the handling of the bike when the tank is full but the fact you can cover so many kays between fuel stops far outweighs that.

P r i c e : $749 Ava i l ab l e f r o m : Direct from Safari Fuel Tanks and selected stockists.

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Air Hawk

WE LOVED the Airhawk seats on our adventure trip. In fact Lincoln was so converted he vowed never to tour without one again.

Adjustable air cells reduce weight on pressure points for more and more smiles.

Made from top quality materials plus a nylon/lycra cover, attachment loop and nonslip urethane base. Suitable for motorcycles, armchair, wheelchair, office 4x4, bus, motorhome, transport, mining, construction, earthmoving and even aviation. In fact it’s suitable for anywhere you plonk your bum.

P r i c e : From $159 Ava i l ab l e f r o m : Airhawk Guy 5

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Sava tyres

THE 690 started the adventure trip with a near shagged rear tyre. On day two we needed to replace it so on went a Sava Rockrider.

From there the bike covered something like 3000 kilometres of everything from thick sand to highway tar.

At the end of the trip it looked like it could go another 3000 kilometres easy which is fantastic for this type of enduro/adventure tyre.

It was easy to fit with normal tyre levers on the side of the road at night somewhere near Bourke.

Overall both the front and rear Euro made tyres worked very well and looking at how good they wore, really do offer great value for money.

Check out the Sava website for the entire range.

If you mention this article when you buy any Sava tyre direct from White’s Racing Products you’ll get free freight.

P r i c e : Front $120, Rear $160 Ava i l ab l e f r o m : Direct from White’s Racing Products or see website for selected stockists.

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Guard it

MADE in the UK by Guard-IT, the rear rack on the 690 Enduro R comes in black anodized only and is extremely well made.

There’s numerous holes to attach things to, whether it be by occy strap or webbing.

Dead easy to fit too.

Protecting the engine is a Guard-IT bash plate which was fitted in something like five minutes. It has a slot so you can still see the oil level of the engine and an

extension which helps protect the rear brake master cylinder.

Like the rack the quality of construction is very high and judging by the abuse it suffered on the Bridle Track it’s tough too.

P r i c e : Bash plate $349.95, Rack $199.95 Ava i l ab l e f r o m : Direct from Adventure Moto 6

Er g o s e at

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Great Basin luggage

ENDURO seats aren’t known for their plushness, so when we decided to take our long term KTM 690 Enduro R on our outback adventure we thought a better seat would be the go.

We didn’t have to look far because KTM offer an accessory gel seat. It doesn’t turn the 690 into a tourer but it definitely made the going on Matt’s bum easier when one of the other riders accosted his Airhawk seat.

P r i c e : $447.50 Ava i l ab l e f r o m : KTM dealers nationwide

THIS luggage is a great problem solver for adventure touring bikes and also fits most sport and sport touring bikes too. Easy on/off with no racks, mounts or braces needed. 50+ litre volume and has a trim and slim profile. Sewn with military grade thread. Very handy, well thought out luggage system. We found it very versatile and functional. Too many features to list - check their website!

P r i c e : $489 Ava i l ab l e f r o m : Direct from Adventure Moto

More Information: www. cycletorque.com.au/more

Father’s Day Book Sa 1

Going Postal

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Nathan Millward had a dream, he wanted to ride across the world on a small motorbike.

A decommissioned Australia Post bike, to be precise. Nathan hit the road on his clapped out postie bike, from Sydney to Darwin then through Southeast Asia and onwards to Pakistan and China and the home run through Europe.

Going Postal – $30.00 2

Ivan Mauger Autobiography

IVAN Mauger is more than the outstanding individual performer in speedway.

He can also point to hugely successful partnerships on and off the track.

His latest ‘best pairs’ partner is award-wining journalist, historian and former promoter Martin Rogers who co-authored Ivan’s eagerly-awaited autobiography.

Martin has written and/or edited 19 sports books and collaborated with other former speedway champions including Barry Briggs, Bruce Penhall and Jason Crump.

Ivan Mauger Autobiography – $39.95 3

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The Riders

Australia’s love affair with motorcycle racing and its fearless heroes was meant to be.

Two things have made it so enticing. The first is the inherent love of freedom, speed and adrenalin - that wild feeling of the wind whipping your face as you fight to take the machine as fast as it can go. The second is the ingrained Australian desire to test ourselves against the rest of the world - to be the quickest of all.

The Riders – $35.00 4

Weekend Warriors 1 & 2

About five years ago Shaun, Andy and I (Jake) started to run out of places to ride. We were sick of riding the same places time and time again so we decided to pay a visit to the Melbourne Map Centre in Chadstone to see if there was a guide book on the subject. Much to our surprise there was nothing to be found.

Sure there were heaps of 4WD and Mountain Bike books but, alas, no trail bike books. The guys in the shop were also surprised, as they had had a lot of enquiries from other trail bike riders.

This gave us an idea....... Why not write our own book?

And that is exactly what we did!

Weekend Warriors 1 & 2 – $44.95

4

To Order Call 02 4956 9820 or www. cycletorque.com.au or see order form on page 60

www.cycletorque.com.au w ww.ccycletorquuee.ccom m.a .aau

www.cycletorque.com.au

ale

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Bitch’n Bitumen

This - the ultimate riders/drivers guide book, provides 224 pages of the best roads in Tas, Vic, ACT, NSW, and QLD, including 34 maps covering loads of day rides, overnight trips and awesome week-long tours, and much more.

Bitch’n Bitumen – $39.95 2

DEUS

Calling this a coffee table book doesn’t do it justice by half. There’s not much writing in the book, and most of what’s there is from TE Lawrence but it definitely is a visual feast with some great work from the creative mind of Carby Tuckwell who was also responsible for the designs and illustrations.

It’s a huge book and covers many of the events and beautiful motorcycle creations that have emanated from that end of Parramatta Road in Sydney.

DEUS – $89.00

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Lost on Earth

“The only way I am coming home is by bike or by box,” Steve Crombie writes when he first hits the road, travelling 90,000kms from Australia to the Arctic Circle via South America. It takes him two years. He suffers from dehydration, starvation and disease. He rebuilds his motorcycle four times. Along the way Steve not only tests his limits but meets the world head on - waking up behind iron bars in Tierra Del Fuego.

Lost on Earth – $34.99

Motorcycle Touring Bible

Touring on a motorcycle has never been more popular than it is today, but with more and more people hitting the open road, a growing number are doing so without the proper skills and information they need to survive the ordeal. Far too often the trip of a lifetime turns into an unmitigated disaster, leading to expensive breakdowns, arrests, lost wages, broken limbs, death, and even, on more than one ocassion, divorce. Most people who travel aboard motorcycles have learned these lessons the hard way, if they’ve survived long enough, but now readers of the “Motorcycle Touring Bible” can learn an easier way; they can learn from author Fred Rau’s mistakes rather than through the school of hard knocks.

Motorcycle Touring Bible – $34.99 5

Norton Commando

The aim of this book is to provide a wide range and collection of road tests, comparison tests, new model descriptions, long term tests and other articles, taken from the world’s motoring magazines. Informed and reliable test comments, specifications, performance data and photographs. The most comprehensive book of our several road test book series, containing 208-220 pages with 400-450 illustrations.

Norton Commando – $59.50

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Australia’s Speedway King

Colin Stewart was once a top international dirt track speedway rider, and one of the trail blazing Australians who established the new sport on the world stage. The distinctive feature of dirt track speedway racing was motorbikes without brakes “broadsiding” round corners at terrifying speeds. Colin was one of the pioneer riders who developed the art of broadsiding, and he was once considered to be the world’s best.

Australia’s Speedway King – $29.95

To Order Call 02 4956 9820 Name______________________________

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Total Amount included:________

to: Book Sales, Cycle Torque, PO Box 687, Warners Bay, NSW 2282 Ph: (02) 4956 9820, Fax: (02) 4956 9824

Shop online at www.cycletorque.com.au

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www.cycletorque.com.au

Cycle Torque Test – Kawasaki 1400GTR

RAPID TRANSIT TEST BY

Chris Pickett

PHOTOS BY

Nigel Paterson

RIDING GEAR: KBC helmet, BMW jacket, Spyke gloves, Hornee jeans, Thomas Cook boots.

There are lots of tourers out there but not too many as quick as the 1400GTR.

Continued next page

THERE are many ways to describe the Kawasaki 1400GTR: fast, comfortable, handles well, mile eater.

They all give you a portion of the picture but the simple thing is the bike is one of the best high speed touring machines ever built.

First released in 2007 to much fanfare, the big GTR was at the very pointy end of the market which also included some great bikes like Honda’s ST1300, Yamaha FJR1300, BMW K 1200 GT, Ducati ST4 and Triumph’s Sprint ST. While all were powerful machines, only the K 1200 GT and FJR1300 could really try and match the 1400GTR for outright grunt, and even then the big Kwaka had the wood on them both.

Things have changed slightly in 2011, with the new BMW K 1600 GT standing toe to toe with the GTR in the real world of actual riding.

In many ways it’s incorrect to describe these bikes as tourers, they are sports tourers due to the huge improvements in power and handling you expect and get from bikes of this nature in 2011.

On the stand

The 1352cc inline four cylinder engine boasts just over 160 horsepower and shed loads of torque. The fact that maximum power chimes in at only 8,800rpm shows you this

is not just a top end missile, it’s happy to power away in top gear at low revs.

A neat trick with the engine is the variable valve timing.

Seen on some cars for a while now it’s not often been used in motorcycles. Kawasaki claims it’s the first time a motorcycle in this particular market sector has used VVT. Honda’s VFR800 introduced VVT to riders a few years ago now so Honda might dispute this, although you could argue the smaller capacity of the VFR doesn’t pitch it directly at the 1400GTR. A six-speed gearbox and shaft drive complete the drivetrain package. According to Kawasaki the two-point jointed shaft drive system gives a feel similar to a chain drive system, and after riding the bike it’s hard to argue against.

Front forks are 43mm USD units with rebound damping and preload adjustment. At the rear the Uni-Trak rear shock set-up is what Kawasaki calls a Tetra-Lever. It’s attached at numerous points, with the upshot being it vastly reduces any up and down movement of the suspension during acceleration and deceleration, a trait of shaft drive machines since they were first introduced.

Comfort is covered by the nicely scalloped seat, an electronically adjusted screen and heated handgrips which

Cycle Torque Test – Kawasaki 1400GTR

Lots of technology needs lots of buttons.

Most rider sizes are catered for by the electric screen.

S p e c i f i c at i o n s : kawasaki 1400gtr Engine Type: Liquid-cooled inline four Capacity: 1352cc Transmission: 6-speed Fuel Capacity: 22 Litres Frame Type: Twin beam alloy Seat Height: 815 Wet Weight: 304kg Front Suspension: 43mm USD Rear Suspension: Uni-Trak Brakes: Twin 4-piston, single disc Tyres: 120/70-17, 190/50-17 Price (RRP): $24,999 + ORC www.cycletorque.com.au/more Call for a quote

1800 24 34 64

WE’LL BEAT ANY PRICE GUARANTEED*

Handy rack can also take a top box.

Big fast bikes need good brakes.

The GTR1400 has them.

Continued next page

Cycle Torque Test – Kawasaki 1400GTR Continued from previous page

Maintenance friendly shaft drive looks super trick.

Great mirrors.

Adjustment aplenty on the forks.

come standard. Panniers also come standard as does the neat little rack which can take a decent sized bag.

The safety side of the equation is taken care of by the KTRC traction control system which activates when rear wheel slip is detected. Handy in dodgy weather. ABS is also standard, as are tyre pressure sensors to let you know if your tyres are a bit low in pressure.

On the road

Yes it’s a big bike, weighing in at 304kg full of fuel, and a bit imposing but it’s easier to ride than you might think. It has a lowish seat height which negates the weight somewhat.

When you are underway you are seated nicely in the cocoon, with the handlebars swept back and all controls falling nicely to your respective body parts.

Around town the GTR’s torquey engine allows you to be pretty lazy, cruising around in one or two gears almost.

Out on the open road the bike just eats miles so easy. Most riders will experience buffeting from the screen at some point of its range so it’s a matter of selecting the best spot for your

head height.

Awesome power is available just about everywhere in the rev range. Generally we got the bike into top gear and left it there as much as possible. You can play racer too. If you get throttle happy the GTR will launch towards the horizon with a ferocity not often seen on bikes of this genre. One downside to the bike’s size though is a tendency for it to understeer when pushed hard in tighter corners. Interestingly two out of the three testers who rode the bike noticed it while the other didn’t. That’s enough to show you it’s a minor issue, and only when riding it a bit silly maybe.

Verdict

This is an awesome bit of kit. It has more power than you’ll ever realistically need, handles well enough to push way beyond the boundaries of the regular touring motorcycle, and has safety features many other bikes in this field should have.

At $24,999 it’s on par with the majority of its direct competitors, and you get a lot of motorcycle for your money. n

Photo : Marco Campelli

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO Moto National Accessories PH : 1300 885 355 www.motonational.com.au

Cycle Torque Staff Bikes

Ducati Fever Restoring the first of Ducati’s four-valve superbikes isn’t that easy.

YOU might think all of the bikes kicking around Cycle Torque’s shed are test bikes. That’s not the case. All of us are bike enthusiasts, and whether our individual bents are dirt or road based, there is always something interesting gathering dust or heaven forbid being ridden.

Cycle Torque’s Nigel Paterson and I have been fans of Ducati’s 851 for years now. When we were impressionable young riders the 851 and the Honda RC30 were the bikes to be seen on.

Of course a bloke in his early ’20s was always going to find it hard to find the available cash to buy either of these bikes back in the day because they were much more expensive than your average motorcycle. I lusted after a Tri Colour 851 so bad it was ridiculous. At the time I made do with a Suzuki Katana which was still a nice bike.

Fast forward many years and I casually made mention to a mate – who happens to be a Ducati specialist – that I would love an 851. The conversation was duly forgotten but a few months later my mate rang me with the words, “I’ve got an 851 for you.” The conversation went back and forwards with questions of condition and cost. A couple of days later I agreed to buy a 1992 American import 851 with some 30,000 miles on the clock, registered and with reasonable tyres. It was cheap, much cheaper than I’d ever seen an 851 advertised before.

I was going to buy it for myself and when I told Nigel about it we decided Cycle Torque should buy it. Lots of fun was had riding it around, we even did a track day.

But then the shoddy original paintwork on the frame had gone powdery which really started to irk me. Before I knew it I was pulling down the most complex motorcycle I had ever

worked on. I was going to just powdercoat the frame and get Ron Young Engineering at Vacy (02 4938 8097) to do the desmodromic heads.

One thing led to another and we bought a pair of new barrels/pistons/rings from Ian Gowanloch, where we also got a set of big bore superbike spec header pipes. A set of factory spec race mufflers also found their way onto the bike and it all eventually went together.

Ron Young Engineering finished the engine, and after being continually frustrated at trying to find places for all the wires, and do a myriad of other jobs I couldn’t seem to get to or had the knowledge to complete I took the bike down to Mike Berry of Desmo Clinic (02 9808 4277) down at Ryde who got the bike running, replaced the starter clutch, and did 99 per cent of the outstanding jobs.

A bit more time in the Pickett shed and it was finished. Since then its sole purpose has been to make me smile with runs to my local coffee haunt, and to give it a run at the Troy Bayliss Experience media day we reported on recently.

Before that we put on a new set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tyres. Retail prices are $205 for the 120/70/17 front, and $299 for the 180/55/17 rear. They transformed the handling of the bike and give loads of grip so we are pretty happy.

Besides me filling a swear jar while working on the 851 not much has gone wrong. There was that time when the bike fell over in the trailer on the way home from Desmo Clinic, denting one of the special mufflers. I prefer not to talk about though, the pain is still a bit deep.

– Chris Pickett

MOTOGPWORLD IXON EXPERTISE

Committed to racing for more than 10 years, IXON today reaches the pinnacle of world motorcycle competition.

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